Reflectors Used For Safety Reasons

It has been determined that almost all road accidents (no matter if they included motorcycles, cars, bicycles or even huge lorries) occur during the night and in circumstances of decreased visibility, for example fog. It is therefore vital that any road-using vehicle should be specially fitted with a form of reflector to act as an added visibility safety measure and it is a virtually near guarantee that there's a reflector to meet every single model and make of car and motorcycle since in the majority of cases the reflectors for vehicles such as this are not made especially for particular models and makes and can very easily individually be stuck on or attached.

There are also lots of businesses specialising in the manufacturing of plastic items that as well as producing reflectors in a range of polymers (from standard ABS compounds to others for instance PPS, DMC and ULTEM which have a very high level of heat resistance) for a wide number of vehicles (manufactured using vacuuming or moulding production processes), also provide a re-metallising service for headlight reflectors of classic and modern cars alike. Such companies are often asked to manufacture suitable reflectors for many various makes and models of cars which have not passed their M.O.T. tests.

For bikes in particular, reflectors are typically manufactured as a moulded tile of transparent plastic, with a smooth exterior surface (in order to allow light such as from an approaching vehicles headlights to enter) whilst the back of the reflector takes the form of a range of angled spherical beads or micro-prisms. These reflectors use the principle of retroreflection to notify motorists to the presence of the cyclist on the road. Retroreflection occurs when light is reflected back to the source with a minimum amount of light being scattered and lost in the surrounding area, making Retroreflectors an ideal materials for use in the manufacture of bicycle and car reflectors.

When light strikes the back of such a reflector (meaning the surface housing the spherical beads and micro-prisms) it will do so at an angle which is greater than the ‘critical angle’ (the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection can take place). Total internal reflection however implies that (due to the orientation of the interior surfaces) the light is completely reflected back out via the front of the reflector in the same direction it came from originally and immediately alerts the various other road users towards the presence of the other vehicle on the road.

Reflectors

 It has been proven that the majority of road accidents (regardless of whether they involved cars, bicycles, motorcycles or even heavy goods vehicles) occur at night and in conditions of poor visibility, such as fog. It is therefore vital that any road-using vehicle should be fitted with a form of reflector as an additional visibility safety measure and it is an almost near certainty that there is a reflector to meet every make and model of car and motorcycle since in the majority of cases the reflectors for such vehicles are not made specifically for certain makes and models and can easily be separately attached or stuck on.

 There are also several firms specialising in the manufacturing of plastic products that as well as producing reflectors in a range of polymers (from standard ABS compounds to others such as PPS, DMC and ULTEM which have a very high level of heat resistence) for a wide selection of vehicles (manufactured using moulding or vacuuming production processes), also offer a re-metallising service for headlight reflectors of classic and modern cars alike. Such companies are often approached to manufacture suitable reflectors for many makes of cars which have failed their M.O.T. tests.

 For bicycles in particular, reflectors are typically manufactured as a moulded tile of transparent plastic, with a smooth exterior surface (in order to allow light such as from an approaching car’s headlights to enter) whereas the back of the reflector takes the form of an array of angled spherical beads or micro-prisms. These reflectors use the principle of retroreflection to alert motorists to the presence of the cyclist on the road. Retroreflection occurs when light is reflected back to the source with a minimum amount of light being scattered and lost in the surrounding area, making Retroreflectors the perfect materials for use in the manufacture of bicycle and car reflectors.

 When light strikes the rear of such a reflector (meaning the surface housing the spherical beads and micro-prisms) it does so at an angle that is greater than the ‘critical angle’ (the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection can take place). Total internal reflection in this case means that (due to the orientation of the interior surfaces) the light is completely reflected back out through the front of the reflector in the direction it came from and instantly alerts the other road users to the presence of another vehicle on the road.