Botts’ Dots – the raised, rumbly markers between lanes on California’s highways and freeways – are on their way out, with Caltrans saying it will no longer maintain or install them.

Named after Elbert Dysart Botts, the Caltrans engineer credited with the 1950s research that led to their creation, the dots spread across the nation as a way to stripe lanes.

The dots later become known for a different benefit: The powerful feedback when driving over them that could snap awake sleepy motorists.

Acer wrote:
I have to laugh at "We use reflective paint!". In the rain, only the freshest, highest-quality paint reflects well in my experience. Most places here use cheaper stuff that they repaint maybe once a year or less. About 6 months out of the year the stuff is significantly faded. Coming up on a strange, multi-lane intersection with only cheap or faded paint in the dark in the rain is like driving blind.