Farewell to ‘Rrrrrrppp’ : The gods of technology turn thumbs down on venerable Botts’ dots

For 30 years, Botts’ dots have helped keep California drivers in line. Well, in lane. But now the little safeguards are on their way out, a victim of better technology.

Countless motorists have given thanks to Botts’ dots, those round bumps that mark the lanes in the state’s highways and freeways.

Who hasn’t got a Botts’ dots story? Perhaps you were coming home after a weekend jaunt to the Colorado River or Mammoth Mountain. Maybe you were a bit drowsy. The auto began to drift from the lane. Then came the familiar “Rrrrrrppp” sound of the tires hitting the line of Botts’ dots.

It jarred you into corrective action. First, there was a feeling of alarm, but that turned to relief with the realization that the dots just might have saved you from catastrophe.

The idea for the dots came from the late Elbert Botts, a state highway chemist, back in the 1950s. And though they’ve evolved over the years, the “Botts’ dots” name stuck.

But Caltrans officials say the 20 million dots now in use are expensive and hazardous to install and maintain. They are held down by a super glue but still pop up from time to time.

The state is testing a cheaper and more-resilient new form of thermoplastic striping that is bonded to the roadway. It will replace the dots as they wear out over the next five years or so.

The raised stripe will cause a bump when the tire hits it, Caltrans says. But will it be as effective as that “Rrrrrrppp”? California drivers hope so.