Who Invented Road Stripes?

Marketing Viewpoint by Ruth Winett

A mundane, but life-saving, innovation

Who thought of those helpful road stripes on the edges of roads? About seventy years ago, John V. N. Dorr eventually convinced people that “[a] line on the side of the road…would give drivers somewhere to aim their eyes at night….Over time his revolutionary stripe of paint would guide drivers across the planet,” according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. Dorr’s stripe is an example of a simple innovation that made a difference everywhere while creating opportunities for the people who make striping equipment and road paint and those who apply and maintain the stripes. This simple, but important, innovation created profits and jobs. It began with innovative ideas but also required risk taking, flexibility, and persistence before the innovation’s acceptance.

Who Invented Center Lines?

Dorr’s edge lines were an extension of an earlier innovation. In the early 1900’s three different people realized that center lines would reduce traffic collisions. In 1911Edward N. Hines was inspired by the lines left by leaking milk trucks in Michigan. After a traffic near miss In 1917, Dr. June McCarroll, a doctor and nurse for the Southern Pacific Railroad, concluded that center lines would help prevent collisions. Frustrated by the lack of support for her innovation, Dr. McCarroll painted center lines on a two mile road stretch. Seven years later California passed a law requiring center lines. Finally, in 1954 all 48 US states required center lines. Meanwhile, in the UK Sutton Coldfield had begun advocating for center lines in 1921, and in 1926 they became the law of the land in the UK.

Success Requires Unwavering Commitment

Successful pioneers are committed to their innovations. They are persistent and flexible. Some are risk takers, investing all their time and money to promote their innovative ideas. But, to succeed, they must get four things right:

Application: The innovation must address a real need or solve a real problem.
Target market: The targeted segment must need the innovation and have the capacity to purchase it.
Product or service description: The product or service description must resonate with the target and include features, benefits, and examples.
Funding: The innovators must have enough time and money to invest in their innovations.

Sources:

“Unsung Invention: a Line,” Wall Street Journal, 7/8/26, p. B2

Who Invented Center Lines in Streets and Roads

How a Paint Brush, Paint and an Idea Transformed Road Safety by Fran Bernard, Women in Trucking, on July 17, 2024.

https://www.dyroadmark.com/faqs/products-faqs/64-history-of-road-marking-line.html

Centerline: The Surprising History of Lane Markings

Centerline of a Roadway Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc

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