Yes, we have retroreflective road marking elements (meaning elements that try to send light directly back to the source) but they sometimes take a little differ

Yes, we have retroreflective road marking elements (meaning elements that try to send light directly back to the source) but they sometimes take a little different form. Specifically, in California, we have plastic ones closely resembling the picture you linked, which are tarred to the road surface, but they have a corner cube molded plastic retroreflective element (like a bicycle reflector) instead of a spherical glass element. However, some signs still feature large diameter glass beads: http://www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=CA19580103 http://www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=CA19580103 Also, the road paint itself contains high-index glass spheroids that retroreflect headlights back into the driver's eyes, making the paint glow brighter than it would normally. Cat's eyes everywhere! Actual cat eyes are also retroreflective due to the tapetum lucidum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum