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The SMV sign turns 50

The year was 1963, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins first aired, Bob Cousy played his last NBA game and the Slow Moving Vehicle emblem was discovered.

“This is the year we celebrate the SMV as 50 years old,” said Dee Jepsen State Safety Lead for Ohio State University Extension. “So it’s celebrating and anniversary and it was designed by ag engineers and students, back in 1963 at Ohio State.”

Dee says a number of studies were conducted around campus in the early ‘60s leading to the final design.

“And they had circles and squares and triangles and hexagons, but it turns out, as we all know, the answer it’s now a triangle.”

And like most things, the State Safety Lead says the SMV has been improved over the years.

“The big changes that have occurred to that symbol over the years is the technology in the reflective material and the florescent,” Jepsen said. “Because we know florescent is good by daytime driving, that’s really all you need to catch your eye and the red reflective border then is what you see at night, which makes that hollow symbol standout when the headlights hit it.”

While there are proper uses for the SMV, marking your driveway is not one of them.

“What it does, it just takes away the value of what we’re using it for and that is to improve safety on the roads,” Jepsen said. “We have enough work educating our rural neighbors.”

Audio: Dee Jepsen, OSU Extension State Safety Lead (3:40 mp3)