Reflective tape

[grizz272]

My wife is on some face book RV groups. It seems on her groups everyone is talking about adding extra reflective tape on the back of the camper.
I do not have a problem with adding the tape. I am just curious how many people have added reflective tape on the back of their camper?

[jplante4]

Jeepers. You guys will fight about anything.

CLOSED

[BarabooBob]

I have installed red/white reflective tape on every trailer hitch on every vehicle I have ever owned since the tape became available. I also put the red/white tape on the frame on the sides of my TT. I also put red reflective tape on the inside of the doors of every vehicle I have owned. the rear bumper on my TT is also reflective. I traveled over 6000 miles in may/June and never got pulled over, about 500 miles were at night.

[JaxDad]

grizz272 wrote:
I did not want to start a fight I am asking the moderators to lock this thread.

You didn’t start a fight, you asked a very reasonable, and IMHO, intelligent question.

The problem arose when the ‘colour coordinating’ crowd showed up and suggested putting all-white reflective material on the back of a vehicle.

A while back there was a very similar ‘discussion’ where a bunch of folks advocated adding (in lots of places) illegal window tint to their motorhomes.

The fact that it was illegal was a completely moot point to most.

The bottom line is that increased visibility is a good thing, if it’s done properly and legally.

Otherwise just add 10 or 12 floodlights facing backwards, everybody will see you.

[grizz272]

I did not want to start a fight I am asking the moderators to lock this thread.

[JaxDad]

rockhillmanor wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
...... In a foggy condition your white reflective tape might cause a person to think that they are heading oncoming to a car and swerve into the other lane.
:S

Red and White DOT tape is fine. DO NOT ADD REFLECTIVE WHITE TAPE TO THE BACK ON ANYTHING.

Sorry but your are incorrect on this.


AND if you think a trailer with approved DOT reflective white tape "looks like a vehicles headlight coming at you"???? Well......

Until you have some self-righteous donkey with a homemade POS trailer or old car following you with crappy (or nonexistent) tail lights, and now you have a bright white reflected light visible on each side of it and it ..........

“looks like vehicles headlights coming at you”.

Which is why DOT conspicuity is never all white at bumper / headlight height, it’s red and white alternating sections to minimize the chances of that happening.

[rockhillmanor]

jrs1871 wrote:
We didn't put on reflector tape but we did install turn/stop lights vertically about the bottom of the back window. When you are in traffic, the OEM lights can be seen by the vehicle directly behind you. But are not that visible to vehicles not directly behind you. Adding those lights has made all the difference in the world when we are signaling a lane change especially. I don't know why the makers don't install them other than it probably saves them $1.97 not to.

That sounds like a great idea for added safety!
Where did you buy them from?

[jrs1871]

We didn't put on reflector tape but we did install turn/stop lights vertically about the bottom of the back window. When you are in traffic, the OEM lights can be seen by the vehicle directly behind you. But are not that visible to vehicles not directly behind you. Adding those lights has made all the difference in the world when we are signaling a lane change especially. I don't know why the makers don't install them other than it probably saves them $1.97 not to.

[rockhillmanor]

DOT approved reflective tape






Hmmm there is white in both of them! :B

[rockhillmanor]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
...... In a foggy condition your white reflective tape might cause a person to think that they are heading oncoming to a car and swerve into the other lane.
:S

Red and White DOT tape is fine. DO NOT ADD REFLECTIVE WHITE TAPE TO THE BACK ON ANYTHING.

Sorry but your are incorrect on this.

"DOT approved" tape AND "WHITE" IS included.
We use DOT approved tape including DOT approved WHITE on horse trailers ALL the time for better visibility to ensure the safety of our precious cargo inside a trailer, horses.

Here is the FEDERAL DOT approved reflective WHITE tape. Albiet this regulation is addressing 'mandatory' for large trucks it shows that it IS an 'acceptable' color for both rear and side.

2018 DOT Conspicuity Tape (Reflective Tape) requirements according to Federal Law

In 1992 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a federal guideline requiring that all trailers from manufactured from 1993, and that have a width of 80” or greater and have a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 or more

must have 2” retro reflective red and

white

reflective tape installed according to guidelines.
This reflective trailer tape is known across the industry as DOT-C2 reflective tape which stands for Department of Transportation 2” tape. It is also commonly known as conspicuity tape.

Due to these strict DOT trailer regulations, a solid line of this reflective DOT tape must be installed on the lower rear of every truck trailer, and 50% of each side of every truck trailer must be covered.

These lengths of reflective trailer tape must be between 15” and 60” above road surface to provide ultimate nighttime visibility.
At the top rear corners of every truck trailer,

there must be 2 inverted “L” shapes of red and

white reflective tape

with each leg being 12” in length.




AND if you think a trailer with approved DOT reflective white tape "looks like a vehicles headlight coming at you"???? Well......

[Grit_dog]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I agree with some of the posters. Reflective tape is fine but, it must be DOT tape. You can't just start adding different colors to the back of you RV, Especially White !! If it is the DOT red/white strip that is OK. But, if you start putting reflective white tape to the back on anything around here you are going to be pulled over and ticketed. As, you should be.

When people see white they thing on coming lights. In a foggy condition your white reflective tape might cause a person to think that they are heading oncoming to a car and swerve into the other lane.

Red and White DOT tape is fine. DO NOT ADD REFLECTIVE WHITE TAPE TO THE BACK ON ANYTHING.

^ This.
The rest of the conjecture and personal preference is typical rvnet garbage.
Some of you need more to do than put reflector tape on your campers!

[JaxDad]

mike-s wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

mike-s wrote:

JaxDad wrote:
Michigan Vehicle Code 257.698 (4)

That law doesn't prohibit, it requires rear reflectors to be red.

Conspicuity tape isn't a "reflector," it's a "reflectorized material." They're different, distinction is made at 257.688(2). Michigan license plates are made of white reflectorized material.

You must have a very different edition of the Michigan Code than I do. 257.688 (2) refers ONLY to a Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) device on an “implement of husbandry” such as a farm tractor.

I get it. As a Canuck, you don't understand US law. There's a difference between reflectors, which are required equipment, and "reflectorized material", which isn't. That the law recognizes a difference is made clear in the same section you cited. Someday you might understand, if you work hard.

You still have 49 states to go, since you're unable to cite any Federal law/regulation.

Hmmmmmm. I point out that you are trying to argue about reflectors on passenger vehicles and you raise SMV placards. But it’s me that doesn’t understand US law.

Federal law doesn’t touch it because other the CFR and FMVSS lay out minimum federal safety and equipment standards. No different than a State establishing other vehicle and driver regulations such as window tinting, vehicle lengths and weights, etc., etc.

[mike-s]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
Especially White !! If it is the DOT red/white strip that is OK.

OK. You can't add white, except you can. Got it.

[mike-s]

JaxDad wrote:

mike-s wrote:

JaxDad wrote:
Michigan Vehicle Code 257.698 (4)

That law doesn't prohibit, it requires rear reflectors to be red.

Conspicuity tape isn't a "reflector," it's a "reflectorized material." They're different, distinction is made at 257.688(2). Michigan license plates are made of white reflectorized material.

You must have a very different edition of the Michigan Code than I do. 257.688 (2) refers ONLY to a Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) device on an “implement of husbandry” such as a farm tractor.

I get it. As a Canuck, you don't understand US law. There's a difference between reflectors, which are required equipment, and "reflectorized material", which isn't. That the law recognizes a difference is made clear in the same section you cited. Someday you might understand, if you work hard.

You still have 49 states to go, since you're unable to cite any Federal law/regulation.

[CavemanCharlie]

I agree with some of the posters. Reflective tape is fine but, it must be DOT tape. You can't just start adding different colors to the back of you RV, Especially White !! If it is the DOT red/white strip that is OK. But, if you start putting reflective white tape to the back on anything around here you are going to be pulled over and ticketed. As, you should be.

When people see white they thing on coming lights. In a foggy condition your white reflective tape might cause a person to think that they are heading oncoming to a car and swerve into the other lane.

Red and White DOT tape is fine. DO NOT ADD REFLECTIVE WHITE TAPE TO THE BACK ON ANYTHING.