By Sam Upton

The road safety sector is in a constant state of development. New thinking, new campaigns, new innovations, all designed to reduce the number of accidents on every type of road in every area in every country. But some of the most effective road safety interventions have been around for decades, quietly preventing accidents and saving lives. And one of the most effective is road markings.

Research by the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) published in 2026 has found that 73% of motorists feel safer on roads with edge lines, while 23% avoid using certain roads at night at least once a week because of visibility concerns, and 20% regularly plan routes to avoid roads they believe have inadequate markings.

“Road markings are one of the most important ways we communicate with road users, influencing how they interpret the road environment and the decisions they make every time they get behind the wheel or onto a motorcycle,” says Rob Elsby, group marketing manager at WJ. “As highway authorities continue to look for effective, value for money solutions, road markings should be recognised as strategic safety assets that support long-term road safety objectives.”

PRIME mover

Whether providing guidance, instructions or warnings, road markings tap into people’s natural reaction to visual cues, acting on those cues without consciously realising it, making the roads safer for relatively little cost. And while the UK’s current portfolio of markings covers a vast range of situations and instructions, researchers continue to investigate the use of road markings in new and more effective ways.

One of the successful new developments is PRIME. Highly commended in the 2023 CIHT Awards, Perceptual Rider Information for Maximisation of Enjoyment and Expertise was developed by Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland with funding from The Road Safety Trust. Designed to encourage motorcyclists to make safer decisions when approaching bends, PRIME is a system of road markings made up of three pairs of truncated chevrons that act as gateways, encouraging riders to travel through the gap and adjust their speed, road position and braking.

Having completed its second phase, with it being rolled out across 35 locations, the project has proved to encourage riders to adopt better road positioning at corners, with evidence of sustained behaviour change over two, three and five-year periods. It’s also resulted in a 61% reduction in annual average motorcycle injury collisions and a 46% reduction in annual average motorcycle collisions where someone is killed or seriously injured.

“PRIME markings are having real world impact and creating lasting behaviour change in riders,” said Ruth Purdie OBE, chief executive at The Road Safety Trust. “We can’t accept the status quo of motorcyclists being prevalent in statistics relating to deaths and serious injuries on our roads in the UK.

Markings maintenance

Alongside new developments in road markings such as PRIME, local authorities are being urged to keep their existing road markings well maintained, with RSMA research showing that edge lines have a bigger impact than other safety measures such as reducing speed limits (51%) and introducing speed humps (40%). What can be a relatively quick fix can significantly improve road safety, especially in rural areas on roads without street lighting.

“Edge lines aren’t necessarily the first road safety solution that springs to mind for local authorities, but there is clearly a strong demand for them from drivers,” said Rob Shearing, CEO of the RSMA. “Road markings should be refreshed regularly, with an emphasis on rural roads that are seeing the most avoidance from drivers.” 

• Click here to take the Preventative Highways Maintenance Fundamentals CIHT Learn course 
• Click here to join the Road Safety 2026 CIHT Masterclass on 19 November