Editing Lane (section)

== History ==
For much of human history, roads did not need lane markings because most people walked or rode horses at relatively slow speeds. However, when automobiles, trucks, and buses came into widespread use during the first two decades of the 20th century, [[head-on collision]]s became more common.

The history of lane markings is connected to early mass automobile construction in Detroit. In 1906, the first Road Commission of [[Wayne County, Michigan]] was formed in an effort to make roads safer. (Henry Ford served on the board in the first year.)<ref>{{cite web|title=Home – Public Services|url=http://www.waynecounty.com/dps/1995.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414150921/http://www.waynecounty.com/dps/1995.htm|archive-date=April 14, 2015|access-date=May 5, 2018|website=www.waynecounty.com|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1909, the commission ordered the construction of the first concrete road (Woodard Avenue in Detroit), and conceived the centerline for highways in 1911. Hence, then chairman of the Road Commission, [[Edward N. Hines]], is widely credited as the inventor of lane markings.<ref>{{cite web|title=MDOT – Hines, Edward N. (1870–1938)|url=http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11154_41535-126420--,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630001026/http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11154_41535-126420--,00.html|archive-date=June 30, 2015|access-date=May 5, 2018|website=www.michigan.gov|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The introduction of lane markings as a common standard is connected to [[June McCarroll]], a physician in [[Indio, California|Indio]], California. She began experimenting with painting lines on roads in 1917 after being run off a highway by a truck driver. After years of lobbying by McCarroll and her allies, the state of California officially adopted a policy of painting lines on its highways in November 1924. A portion of [[Interstate 10]] near Indio has been named the Dr. June McCarroll Memorial Freeway in her honor.

The first lane markings in Europe were painted at an accident hotspot in the small town of [[Sutton Coldfield]] near [[Birmingham]], England, in 1921. The success of this experiment made its way to other hotspots and led to standardization of white paint lane markings throughout Great Britain.<ref>Douglas V. Jones: ''The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield – A Commemorative History'', [[Westwood Press]] 1994, {{ISBN|0-9502636-7-2}}.</ref>

The first use in Germany was in Berlin in 1925, where white paint marked both lanes and road edges. When the standard for the new [[autobahn]] network was conceived in the 1930s, it mandated the usage of black paint for the center line for each carriageway. Black is more visible on the bright surface of concrete.

By 1939, lane markings had become so popular that they were officially standardized throughout the United States. The concept of lane markings spread throughout the world and became standard for most roads. Originally, lines were drawn manually with ordinary paint which faded quickly. After World War II, the first machines for line markings were invented.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070212103153/http://www.parkplatzmarkierung.ch/zeitreise.html Zeitreise der Markierungstechnik]</ref> Plastic strips became standard in the 1950s. This gradually led to the placement of plastic lane markings on all major roads.