Percy Shaw's cat's eye road stud
Catadióptrico «ojo de gato» de Percy Shaw
- Date
- 1934 · confidence high
- Place
- Halifax, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Percy Shaw
- Field
- Communication
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A device of glass lenses set in a rubber mount that reflects car headlamps on the road. The rubber wipes the lenses clean as vehicles pass over it.
Richard Hollins Murray patented a different glass road reflector in 1928; Shaw patented his in 1934 and it was the one that prevailed.
What it led to
- reflective road signage
- fewer night-time accidents
- retroreflectors in signs and clothing