Roadway Ice Accident Prevention:
What makes IceAlert® unique is that it provides a visual alert by changing colors from white to blue only when the potential for ice actually exists. IceAlert® allows people to “see” the temperature. IceAlert® products have been on the market 20 years and were originally developed as a roadway safety program for Motorists. Approximately 15 years ago we started working with Occupational Health and Safety professionals.
Reflective Blue Star Indicates Freezing Temperatures!
When the star is white, weather conditions are not freezing. When the star is half-white/half-blue, the weather conditions are transitioning to freezing temperatures. When the star is blue, there are freezing weather conditions.
The Bluestar® System
The Bluestar Roadway SystemTM is simple and effective, and motorists grasp the concept quickly. IceAlert temperature-sensitive reflectors mount on standard guideposts and act as normal delineators until temperatures near freezing. At that time the reflectors turn blue, alert drivers of freezing conditions, and eliminate the unpleasant surprise of difficult-to-see ice.
IceAlert® roadway reflectors are most effective when installed in a series of 3-5 reflectors, postioned well in advance of the problem area, to give motorists time to react to the ice-warning. Spacing between individual IceAlert® reflectors is generally identical to standard guidepost reflector spacing, and primarily dependent upon traffic speed.
To insure maximum effectiveness and consistency in application, we offer site design help. The Bluestar SystemTM for roadways is specifically designed for your particular site. You send a simple site description of the bridge, overpass, roadway, off-ramp, etc to us, and we provide a site-specific plan which considers traffic speed and topography, and which includes sign and reflector spacing, plus detailed installation instructions. You receive a complete plan for your site plus the appropriate signs, reflectors and hardware.
IceAlert® temperature-sensitive reflectors are rugged and very easy to install. IceAlert® are post-mounted, stand-alone units with no batteries or electronic components. Installation does not require pavement cuts, just drive a post and bolt the IceAlert® to it, or bolt an IceAlert® to an existing post.
Please look over our web site as you think of areas in your jurisdiction that might provide ice-related “surprises” to your local motorists this winter. If you have any questions, please contact us and we’ll be happy to provide a proposal that will surprise you with its economy.
The Bluestar® System Installation Instructions
Step 1: Locating and Installing the Guideposts
Make certain you don’t intermix existing reflectors in with the new system.
MUTCD requires that roadway reflectors be installed no more than 4 feet above the near roadway edge. Drive the post in the shoulder far enough so that when the reflectors are attached they will measure properly.
If you are faced with shoulders that slope more the 3:1, a longer length post may be necessary to ensure a proper installation.
To ensure that the system can be seen properly, install the posts so that at least two reflectors will be visible at all times!
After you are certain the posts are located and installed properly, continue with Step 2.
Step 2: Installing the Reflectors
IMPORTANT! The Bluestar® System reflectors are instruments that must be handled with care, until they are properly mounted to an approved post. At that time they can handle any thing Mother Nature or snowplows can throw at them.
Bluestar® reflectors must not be mounted over or near other reflective surfaces.
Secure the reflector and the backing plate to the post with the tamper-resistant hardware supplied Take care not to deform the reflector during installation. It must be supported on a flat surface. If you are installing on steel channel posts with the channel facing traffic then you must first attach the backing plate to the installed posts, secure with pop rivets (not supplied). Then slip the reflector into the backing plate and secure with supplied hardware using the enclosed drawing as a guide.
Make certain the “Bluestar” arrow is pointing up.
Step 3: Site Inspection
Once the entire installation is done, drive through the location from both directions to ensure that all reflectors are installed properly, and at least two are visible at all times.
For technical support please call 1-800-831-4551
IceAlert® System Installation Specifications and Spacing Formula for Roadways, Bridges, Intersections, or Other Fixed Hazards:
Reflectors in the IceAlert® series are mounted on standard guideposts not more than four feet above the near roadway edge, using factory supplied stainless steel tamper resistant brackets, bolts and lock-nuts.
PIEV TIME:
THE TOTAL TIME TO PERCEIVE AND COMPLETE A REACTION TO A SIGN IS THE SUM OF THE TIMES NECESSARY FOR PERCEPTION, IDENTIFICATION/UNDERSTANDING, EMOTION/DECISION MAKING, AND VOLITION/EXECUTION
Fixed Hazards
PIEV time 12 seconds.
1 mile per hour speed = 1.47 feet per second.
The IceAlert® System should begin no closer than the PIEV 12-second distance from the bridge or other hazard.
IceAlert® reflectors must not be placed more than 200 ft. apart.
The last IceAlert® reflector should be placed at the bridge, or other hazard, entrance.
Additional Products:
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