Q: What are those reflective bumps separating road lanes?
Q: What are those reflective bumps separating road lanes?
A: Those are officially known as raised pavement markers but commonly called “Botts’ Dots.”
In 1953 Dr. Elbert D. Botts, an employee at the Caltrans materials testing lab in Sacramento, came up with the idea of using a raised pavement marker to help make the painted lines separating lanes last longer.
After a many refinements, including a special super glue to keep the reflectors in place, the use of Botts’ Dots were mandated for all California freeways, except in areas where they would be damaged in snow-removal operations. The ubiquitous little buttons have since been adopted around the world.
In addition to making lanes easier to distinguish, the markers also had an additional – and originally unintended – safety benefit: to alert motorists when they drift out of their lane.
There are an estimated 20 million Botts’ Dots on California freeways and highways, and millions more around the world. They are a lasting legacy to Botts, who died in 1962.
Botts never saw the full-scale application of his invention. The first highway to receive Botts’ Dots was Interstate 80 in Solano County in 1966, followed shortly by Highway 99 near Fresno.
Source: www.dot.ca.gov
– By Kelly Savio, Staff Writer
