A closer look
Reflective road studs, universally known as cat's eyes, were invented by an Englishman who was supposedly saved from driving off a deadly cliff by catching the reflection of his headlights in a wandering stray cat's eyes. Instead of simply thanking the feline and moving on with his life, Percy Shaw decided to monetize the experience by creating a glass and rubber device that mimics the reflective tapetum lucidum found in animal retinas. His invention vastly improved nighttime road safety and made him incredibly wealthy, all because a feral cat happened to be staring at him in the dark. It is a beautiful reminder that our most critical safety infrastructure is often inspired by completely random wildlife encounters on dark country roads. Today, millions of drivers unknowingly rely on the biomechanics of a frightened 1930s tabby cat to keep them from careening into a ditch when they are desperately driving home from a late shift
