Lucas McDonnell-Hoffert isn乌鸦传媒檛 old enough to drive, but he might know more about highways than most adults behind the wheel.

McDonnell-Hoffert won a bronze medal and two other awards at the national science fair in May for his study of how road line visibility affects drivers. He found there乌鸦传媒檚 no guarantee a vehicle stays on its side of the road if the driver can乌鸦传媒檛 see the line.

乌鸦传媒淚f the line is faded, would the driver look at paint first or the signs? I looked at that and found they look at lines first,乌鸦传媒� he says.

The 13 year old乌鸦传媒檚 work has also prompted provincial RCMP officers to change how they consider road lines at accident scenes.

RCMP Cpl. David Barnhart, who investigates serious and fatal collisions in southeast B.C., happens to live near McDonnell-Hoffert just outside Nelson.

He said while investigators do pay attention to road line visibility, there was previously nothing in their assessments that noted faded lines. Barnhart said he乌鸦传媒檚 also previously expressed concern about visibility with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e had a few collisions where the road markings may have played a factor in terms of drivers乌鸦传媒� misconception about where their vehicle should be on the roadway.乌鸦传媒�

McDonnell-Hoffert乌鸦传媒檚 home is next to a blind corner on Highway 3A with faded lines. Last September he observed traffic for his study, noted how often drivers drifted into the other lane, and also how driver behaviour changed when they saw a marked car Barnhart parked nearby.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e seen many near misses, consistently people cutting the corner,乌鸦传媒� says McDonnell-Hoffert.

Part of the problem in McDonnell-Hoffert乌鸦传媒檚 opinion is the paint used on highways.

Ten years ago Environment Canada released new guidelines that banned oil-based paints from being used for road lines. The new water-based paints are low in volatile organic compounds (VOC), which Environment Canada says reduces smog and ground-level ozone emissions.

But they also fade more quickly than oil-based paints. Barnhart said he used to tease a friend in the transportation ministry about its use of temporary reflective tape.

乌鸦传媒淭he joke was the tape lasted years longer than the actual paint, and they should go around putting tape on the roads,乌鸦传媒� he says.

乌鸦传媒淧rior to the latex paint, visibility of the road lines was [not an issue]. By the time they came around with the paint truck again, there was always still some sort of line. With the latex, you can have complete loss of the visible line in a couple seasons.乌鸦传媒�

Rodrigo Disegni is the transportation ministry乌鸦传媒檚 director of rehabilitation and maintenance. He乌鸦传媒檚 been with the ministry for 11 years, but three years ago turned his attention to the science of road lines.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 something that, unfortunately, whenever I乌鸦传媒檓 driving, I乌鸦传媒檓 always looking at the lines and saying, yeah, that looks good, that could be improved,乌鸦传媒� says Disegni. 乌鸦传媒淒riving used to be enjoyable. Now I乌鸦传媒檓 always on the clock keeping an eye on things.乌鸦传媒�

Disegni said most main highways are painted once a year in B.C. Some areas might receive multiple paintings depending on conditions, while less-used roads may not be painted for two or three years. (Disegni said a recent ministry study showed traffic volume does not play a significant role in line deterioration.)

Two different paint mixtures are used in B.C. The first is water based, which doesn乌鸦传媒檛 perform as well in humid areas or in cold weather. The other is a low-VOC alkyd paint reserved for coastal areas.

Glass beads, which vary in size depending on location, are also included in the mixture to increase reflectivity. The downside of the beads, though, is they become less reflective as the paint wears and can also be polished off when sand is used in the winter.

All of which is to say there乌鸦传媒檚 a lot more to highway paint than slapping some yellow and white down on pavement.

乌鸦传媒淵ou get the idea that this is basically someone painting lines on a road, but the reality is when you start looking at the science behind the paint, it乌鸦传媒檚 actually pretty complex,乌鸦传媒� says Disegni.

乌鸦传媒淭he chemistry that goes into the production of the paint, the use of the glass beads to help with reflectivity, is very complex.乌鸦传媒�

This topic has fascinated McDonnell-Hoffert for three years.

He was driving home from school with his grandmother in 2016 when their car was nearly hit by a driver who drifted too far into a left-hand turn lane where the line was faded. That made an impression on a then 10-year-old kid.

乌鸦传媒淚t was a near miss, and that sparked my interest,乌鸦传媒� he said.

McDonnell-Hoffert乌鸦传媒檚 trip to the national science fair this year in Fredericton was his second in a row following last year乌鸦传媒檚 project that also focused on road lines. His mother Jennifer says her son has changed in unique ways since his close call three years ago.

乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 more inquisitive,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 always asked why, but now he乌鸦传媒檚 able to research it and find some of those answers and reach out and talk to all these different people.乌鸦传媒�

McDonnell-Hoffert also isn乌鸦传媒檛 done. His next goal is to create his own paint, one that lasts longer, costs less and is environmentally friendly.

乌鸦传媒淸I want to] change something in the world,乌鸦传媒� he says, and he might just do it before he gets his licence.

tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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