Recently, a video of a female rider falling down spread on the Internet has sparked heated discussions, in which the rider drove a motorcycle to the white marking line of the straight arrow on the road and fell, but fortunately, the side lane avoided in time to avoid more serious consequences. Some people in the comment section call such markings "death white lines", which roughly means that the friction of these markings is greatly reduced when exposed to water, which can easily lead to tire slippage and accidents. Is the "white line of death" statement true, and what are the key points to pay attention to when traveling safely in rainy and snowy weather?
In the videos that quote the "white line of death" in various titles, it is generally mentioned that some road markings are more slippery in rain and snow. There are also many people in the comments below the video who said that they fell on a white line while riding an electric car on a rainy day, or fell on a white zebra crossing while walking with slippers. After the rain two days ago, the reporter also took to the street to have a preliminary experience, and in terms of foot feeling, the friction on the white zebra crossing seems to be smaller than the black asphalt road next to it, and the visual smoothness is also smoother. In interviews with citizens on the streets, they said that they had different feelings.
Citizen 1: I don't usually pay attention to it, but it does look smoother, so don't brake suddenly, it should be fine.
Citizen 2: Once, when riding an electric car on a rainy day, I happened to slip at the intersection, and I was quite scared at the time, but I can't remember if it was because of the white line.
Citizen 3: I feel that this kind of line is painted with paint, and it must be easy to slip on rainy days, so you should be careful.
White zebra crossing after rain / photographed by journalists
The reporter searched on the Internet and found that in 2019, someone had left a message on the government's online website, and the white line of the highway was seriously prone to accidents when it was skidd. In the news reports of previous years, some citizens in Jinan, Wuhan and other places have reported that zebra crossings are easy to slip on rainy days, and some local traffic management departments have responded that they will pilot anti-skid transformation, and some departments have responded that because of the impact of weather and sprinkling, the friction on the road has decreased.
Previous related reports/pictures from the Internet
So what kind of materials are generally used for the common indication markings on the current roads, and why do they appear to varying degrees of slipperyness? With these questions, the reporter asked many questions. Chen Wenliang, the person in charge of the paint company who has been in the industry for more than 10 years, introduced to reporters the main coatings used in the current road marking and their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Chen Wenliang: First, the normal temperature road marking, its construction technology is more convenient, the construction progress is very fast, the disadvantage is that it is not resistant to wear; the second is the hot melt road marking, its advantage is that it is fast drying, the road closure time requirements are short, and it has a certain night reflective performance. Its disadvantage is that it is easily affected by external environmental changes, resulting in the marking line is not stain-resistant, easy to crack and fall off. The third is the two-component road marking, which has better stain resistance and is relatively more environmentally friendly. Its disadvantage is that the cost is too high, and the drying time is relatively slow. Fourth, the color anti-skid road markings, which are bright in color and have good anti-skid performance. Fifth, the hot-melt color anti-skid marking, fast drying, is also the color is more distinct, it is on the basis of the hot-melt coating to add some ceramic particles to improve the anti-slip effect.
Relevant standards/pictures from the Internet
"Road Traffic Signs and Markings" (GB5768-2009) only mentions that the road traffic markings set on the road surface should use anti-skid materials, and the anti-skid performance of the surface of the marking should generally not be lower than the anti-skid performance of the road surface in the road section. Chen Wenliang also pointed out that the anti-skid performance of traffic markings is mainly related to the material itself. The latter two coatings with the word "anti-slip" in their names are significantly stronger in terms of anti-slip performance.
Chen Wenliang: If there is a clear and stricter constraint value on the anti-skid value, it is the subsequent two processes, that is, the color anti-skid road marking and the hot-melt color anti-skid road marking, but their cost requirements will be relatively higher.
Relevant analysis of industry insiders/pictures from the Internet
In response to why some citizens feel that the marking is more slippery after the rain, Chen Wenliang analyzed:
Chen Wenliang: The first is because of the rain, which reduces the friction on the ground, and the second is the reason for the marking itself, such as the hot melt marking line, which adopts the construction technology of sprinkling glass beads on the surface. The glass beads are sprinkled on the surface in order to meet the performance requirements of the marking line at night, but often because it is a glass bead once it is stained with rain on a rainy day, it will have less friction and may slip.
Road markings after rain / photographed by reporters
Because the car with four tires is relatively more stable, most of the motorcycles and electric bicycles fall down in the online video, and Wei Wei, the motorcycle safety driving instructor of the Oriental Fashion Driving School, also said that citizens and friends should pay attention to driving safety when traveling in rainy days:
Wei Wei: Riders must first ensure a good driving condition and wear a raincoat on rainy days. Keep your eyes clear, don't say it's raining and squinting your eyes to ride, that kind of is very dangerous. Try to avoid white lines or areas with standing water. If you drive a motorcycle to the white line on the road in rainy and snowy weather, the accelerator and braking should be gentle, soft and slow, and there should be no big braking or a state of heavy refueling. In addition, daily maintenance of the vehicle is also very important, especially the maintenance of tires, to create a better state. In this way, after the tires are pressed with water, the tread will drain the water out of the contact surface, and the vehicle will have a good grip.
Road markings after rain / photographed by reporters
The implementation of road markings is to make traffic more orderly, but the drawbacks reported by everyone cannot be ignored. It is hoped that the relevant departments will make more efforts in the selection of coatings, processes and post-maintenance, so as to avoid potential safety hazards and rectify problems as soon as possible. Chen Wenliang, who has been working in the paint industry for many years, also appealed:
Chen Wenliang: Call on some Party A to increase the investment budget for important urban road markings, and do some new construction technology, which has very standard requirements for anti-skid technology. Later maintenance also needs to be carried out in a timely manner according to the degree of wear and tear of the road in accordance with standards and procedures.
Reporter: Suning
Editor: Suning
Editor-in-Chief: Zhu Laisheng