Why are the lines on the road white instead of a more visable colour?

Question

I was driving home in the snow today and could hardly see the white lines through the snow but I could still see the yellow ones fine. So why don't they paint the white lines a bright colour that would be visible through snow?

Please do not say because then they wouldn't be white!!

Answer 1

colour is the absorption and reflectance of wavelengths. White reflects all the wavelengths (colours). So its best to use especially on a black road.

Answer 2

If anybody was concerned with visability of road lines, they would be made of a peltier device connected to the circuit that road lights are in every state that snow falls on the highway.

Answer 3

That is  an interesting question. They have been white  for over 45 years. The Department of Transportation may have a FAQ sheet. Personally,  I believe was it  chosen because of the availability of color.  Also, its white reflection has typically shown better on wet asphalt.  The orange was used  primarily   on flight lines so the orange was changed over to  the highways when the reflection included better chemicals for sight.

Answer 4

White lines divide traffic that is going the same direction.  Yellow lines divide traffic that is going opposite directions.  If you had a choice of which line you could see in any conditions, which would you pick?

Answer 5

Usually when it snows, its the dark edge of the lane where the asphalt shows that leads the way....the white lines show up best in the rain and dark.

You could try calling your highway department...they probably know.

Answer 6

Because Road is black, so they have to colored it to white.

I think if snowy road...they have to color it to Green or Black if your country is permanently snow.

But this is international law for road. So we cannot change it to any other color than white.

Answer 7

Because white is the most visable color on black. And it being dark at night you could really see white. Not to mention snow happens how many times out of the year but the lines are there forever.

Answer 8

colour blindness in the driving community,

if they were red then the driver's might not see the lines?

only guessing!

Answer 9

Probably no one has thought of it.  You have a great idea.  I would think it started because that was the easiest or cheepest when the road painting practice started.

Answer 10

White is a higher contrast against the black, and the white actually has a metallic tint visable in the dark...otherwise I don't really know

Answer 11

it might be cheaper to use white paint