Most fatal car accidents occur on freeways and rural roads. Therefore, any change to freeway safety is bound to reverberate throughout the entire state. California is one of the last states to utilize the “Botts Dot still.” The Botts Dot is the ceramic tile that lines lanes on freeways and some highways. They were designed to “bump” your car, to alert drivers when they were drifting out of their lanes. The removal of the Dots is one of the biggest changes to California freeway safety in the past few years.
The Botts Dot was invented in 1953 in a Caltrans lab and were introduced a few years later. The Botts Dot are small, circular ceramic discs that sit on the lines denoting one lane from the next. The Dots are being replaced for several reasons. First, automated cars have trouble detecting the dots, therefore, reflective tape or something brighter is preferable to adapt the roads to a future with automated vehicles.
Second, the Dots wear out relatively quickly compared to a newer generation of angular, reflective, plastic bumps. Additionally, the reflective thermoplastic bumps are easier to see for retirees, an increasingly larger share of the population.
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a fatal accident, then you may want to contact an attorney. Yes, it is true, you can probably count on the other driver to have insurance. But the injuries incurred at accidents on freeways are rarely covered by a standard insurance policy. The insurance company will likely offer you a pittance compared to the mountain of medical bills you are likely facing. A lawyer can help you get the money you need to rebuild your life.