In the annals of road safety innovations, few inventions have had as profound an impact as the humble cat’s eye road stud. Born out of necessity and ingenuity, this simple yet ingenious device has illuminated highways and byways around the world, guiding countless travelers safely to their destinations. At the heart of this innovation lies the story of Percy Shaw, a man whose resourcefulness and determination transformed a perilous descent into a beacon of safety for drivers everywhere.
Inventor of the cat’s eye road stud light
Shaw.Percy Born in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire, from an early age Shaw showed resourcefulness and contributed to the family budget by peddling home-grown fruit, herbs and vegetables in the neighborhood. He received his earliest education at Buston Boarding School, leaving at 13 to begin work as a laborer in a blanket factory, but later attended evening classes in shorthand and bookkeeping. Low wages forced him to give up an apprenticeship with a wire manufacturer in Halifax, and after a series of jobs in welding, boiler making and machine tool building, he went into partnership with his father in a small company specializing in the repair of rolls, which supplied the government with contracts for ammunition cartridges, shell heads and healds during the First World War. After his father’s death, Shaw established a thriving business building gravel roads and driveways, for which he developed a miniature motorized roller.
The inspiration for the cat’s eye road stud light
Shaw was an early car enthusiast, and his experience of the dangerous descent from Queensbury to Halifax after the tram tracks were removed, which had guided drivers at night and on foggy days, led him to focus on improving road safety. Whether it was Shaw’s insistence in 1968 that his car’s headlights reflected off reflective road studs or his brother Cecil’s (perhaps fabricated) story about a cat’s eye being punctured by a beam of light, he realized in 1934 that there was a need for reflective studs to mark the road surface on unlit roads.A patent for a prototype Maltese cross shaped road stud was granted in 1935 and a company with Cat’s Eye as a registered trademark and Percy Shaw as Managing Director. Initially, the luminous glass lenses came from Czechoslovakia and the rubber pads from Manchester, but later all the components were manufactured and assembled on a 20-acre site in Bootham, adjacent to Shaw’s home. A series of further patents modified the original design, including the inclusion of a self-wiping mechanism, but orders were slow until Ministry of Transportation support and World War II blackouts greatly boosted production. The expansion of the market after the war ensured continued expansion, and in 1965 Shaw was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to export, and by the time of his death in 1976 some 15 million cat’s eyes had been produced.
How the cat’s eye road stud works？
How the cat’s eye worksThe cat’s eye is a reflective road marking safety device and one of the first raised road markings, which originated in the UK in 1933 and is now widely used throughout the world.
In its original form, the cat’s eye consisted of a white rubber dome in a cast iron housing with two pairs of reflective glass spheres. This bi-directional design was used to mark the centerline of a road, with each pair of cat’s eyes indicating one direction. Unidirectional cat’s eyes of various colors are also widely used to mark road edges and travel dividers. Cat’s eyes are particularly useful in foggy conditions and greatly reduce damage to the roadbed from snow removal.
A key feature of the cat’s eye is that its elastic rubber vault deforms when it is crushed by passing traffic. Fixed rubber components clean the surface of the reflector as the vault settles below the road surface (often the base is waterlogged after rain, making this cleaning process more effective). The metal “rim” protects the rubberized vault from impact damage, while also providing tactile and audible sensation to drivers who stray from their lanes.
As we navigate the highways and byways of modern life, let us not forget the remarkable legacy of Percy Shaw and his invention, the cat’s eye road stud. From its humble origins in Halifax to its widespread adoption across the globe, this unassuming device continues to shine a light on the path to safer roads for all. As we journey forward, may we always remember the lessons of the past and strive to illuminate the way for future generations of travelers. With each gleaming reflection, we honor the enduring legacy of innovation and perseverance that continues to shape our world.