Tapes are commonly used in many aspects of our everyday life. Whether on road signs, trucks, or construction sites, you name them. One thing you must have noticed is that they will always catch your eye. This is precisely their purpose.
Mainly used for Department of Transportation or DOT requirements, Reflective tape has many other uses. The high visibility and durability are what makes the tape a reliable product for various purposes.
Kinds of Reflective Tape
Based on grade levels, standard grade fluorescent reflective tape has fluorescent color, highly reflective,high-visibility, weatherproof, self-adhesive films as well as super intensity with excellent corrosion and solvent resistance.
The other is the Engineering Grade Retro Reflective Tape designed for permanent and temporary traffic signage.
The SOLAS Marine Reflective is the third option. This water grade and high-quality retro-reflective tape is a pressure-sensitive adhesive-coated covering with an enclosed lens designed particularly for maritime applications to increase visibility.
Places that require safety applications such as safety cones, trailers for greater visibility, a honeycomb prismatic reflective tape namely the High-Intensity Retro-Reflective Tape is used.
Fluorescent Daybright Tape is a solvent-resistant product for harsh outdoor weather and used for graphic applications on vehicles.
The glass beaded reflector coating in Striped Reflective Tape provides bright, vivid colors with light-reflective properties in the dark.
Sporting Uses for Reflective Tape
It is a useful item for boats. You can tape a narrow strip on the docks to help the boating crew return to the docks. Given the lack of traffic lights or any light source in the seas, it is a good idea to place a mid-grade metallic reflective tape on the rear side or sides of your boat to make them visible to other boats in the dark.
Heavy snowfall can severely hinder visibility. Once placed on the front or rear side of your vehicle, it will help you navigate through the snow and identify snowmobiles and skiing parties in front of you.
Hunters often have well-hidden hunting stands in trees for years so installing a tape at the bottom can help them be guided to such places in darkened conditions.
Additionally, vehicles with low lighting like motorbikes, scooters and bicycles have reflective tape installed as they move in heavy traffic and have a low profile which can be a risk for accidents during dusk or dawn.
Reflective Tape & Roadway Vehicles
Reflective tape is most commonly found on commercial vehicles and, to a lesser extent, on recreational vehicles.
Apply the tape on the rocker panel or bumper of your vehicle to increase their visibility to other vehicles. Keep in mind that the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration requires retroreflective conspicuity tape.
DOT certified C2 tape only comes in alternating red and white patterns on the sides and the rear are a requirement if you are using a tractor-trailer.
Government and safety vehicles make the most use out of these tapes. Such slow-moving vehicles are often parked at dusk hours on the narrow side of residential streets and benefit most from using these conspicuity reflective tape to prevent accidents.
These include snow plows, street sweepers, garbage trucks, mail trucks, construction vehicles. Alternatively, you can also use bright colored fluorescent tapes that can doubly act as a brand image associated with your vehicle.
Driveways, Parking Lots, and Roadways
To avoid collision with obstructions while parking out, it is a good idea to mark the edges of your driveway, real estate signs, mailboxes, boulders for better situational awareness.
Guardrails, stairways and handrails lining the driveway or entrance of commercial buildings can also benefit from this. In addition, the snowplow driver, the mail truck, and the delivery truck can easily approach as they see your driveway and mailbox.
With obstructions like landscape islands, not to mention light poles, electrical enclosures, guardrails, parking lots are hotspots for accidents. As these items are often backed into, a brightly red reflective tape will alert the driver before the point of impact.
Reduce Vehicle Theft
You may wonder how installing reflective logo tape on your vehicles can lower the risk of theft. This is because the logo tape installed acts as an instant identifier for the true owner.
This is why many corporate fleets of trucks, trailers, and equipment are required to have the reflective logo tape installed. You will be shocked by the amount of construction equipment theft of $330M to $1 billion of stolen equipment a year. They are easily stolen in remote areas and command a high value on the resale market.
Walking Passages
Reflective tape can be placed on signs, sidewalks, mailboxes, hallways, passageways or fences to ensure that they aren’t missed during emergencies like power outages.
Edges & Ledges
There is no such thing as enough warning especially when it comes to sudden rises or drops on the ground. The reflective tape will be eye-catching enough for pedestrians or drivers to avoid injury.
Low Hanging Dangers
Mostly to avoid head injuries, reflective tape can be placed at head height. This includes low doorways, objects, entryways to garage doors, sheds, gardens, chandeliers, pipes, stairway steps and so on.
Bicycles & Motorcycles
This is mainly for the protection of bikes and motorcycles from larger vehicles. You can also decorate your ride, scooter or skateboard and it will serve a dual purpose.
Warehouse Machinery
Whether mobile or stationary, machinery with hard edges should be visible. Place the tape on the floor to highlight any dangerous areas. Remember that the reflective tape is always cheaper than any injury or death that may occur in case of an accident.
Arts & Crafts
These colored tapes with stripes can have surprising artistic effects whether used for kids’ arts and crafts or a sophisticated artistic installation.
Water Activities
This is incredibly crucial for visibility and safety for small vessels and life rafts. These marine-grade conspicuity tapes for water use such as paddles, rafts, kayaks, life jackets, water buoys, etc. They can be placed on the topsides or undersides of your craft.
Farm Use
Farms often have low hanging areas that can benefit from a reflective tape warning. To be used for tractors, lifts and small four-wheeler vehicles. This will help with visibility for motorbikers especially at dusk or dawn.
Adventure Travel
A must-have for your first aid and safety kit especially if you are an outdoor adventurer. Every traveler should make sure to stick them on your boats, supply boxes and across your camp to guarantee your visibility with a flashlight.
On the Go
Attach some on dog collar or leash, running shoes, kids’ backpacks, bicycles, motorcycle helmets.
At home
You can also place some on your fence or mailboxes to provide visibility to drivers especially if your neighborhood is not well-lit.
Conclusion
Given so many uses of reflective tape in addition to others not mentioned here, this type of tape truly serve a multipurpose function.
The increased visibility and convenience. This is why anything that requires to be more easily seen, whether for yourself or your property, calls for reflective tape.
