Thousands will travel to San Diego this week for a trade show offering the newest innovations in road safety.
“This is where you see the latest and greatest in roadway safety stuff,” said James Baron with the American Traffic Safety Services Association.
The Fredricksburg, Va. company organizes the trade show that’s been attracting its members for 43 years.
The San Diego Convention Center is packed with everything from stripes, signs and guardrails to crash cushions and rumble strips.
Attendees can check out everything from guard rails with the look of natural wood to the massive thermoplastic striper that creates those lines on the roads for dividers and crosswalks.
Flashing lights that run on AC, battery or solar power are set up for hands-on demonstrations.
Participants travel to San Diego from as far away as New Zealand and China to visit hundreds of booths offering items that may help keep roads safer.
“There’s a lot of science that goes into this stuff,” Baron said. “Brighter stripes on the road that reflect at night that you can see when it’s raining and when it’s foggy out.”
“It’s just really some interesting stuff,” he said.