Percy Shaw had begun working as a road contractor by 1930 and started his own business which he expanded and began to employ his own workers. It was at this time that Percy invented reflective road studs.
He often drove with his 1916 Model T Ford on the stretch of road between two towns, namely Queensbury and Boothtown. The road had a very steep drop at one side which Shaw called ‘the death drop.’ The only light on the road at night came from the tram lines which Shaw said shone ‘like twin silver ribbons’ and acted like a guide on the road.
On one foggy night when he was driving down the same road he saw a cat, sitting on a fence and noticed how the reflection of its eyes pierced through the darkness.
The tram lines and the cat’s eyes provided Shaw with the idea for reflective road studs.
Finding suitable materials for the new invention was difficult and the crystal glass used in the studs could only be sourced in Czechoslovakia.
He made several prototypes of the stud and tested them on the road before he was happy with his invention.
Shaw’s road stud was unique because it had a rubber cushion which collected rain water and closed like an eyelid over the glass stud when a car tyre ran over it. This also helped to keep the reflective stud clean.
He patented his invention as Catseyes in 1934 and founded his company, Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd in 1935.
Then came the Second World War. During the blackouts of the Second World War, Catseyes became extremely popular, with orders coming into the small workshop of up to 40 000 per week.
His Catseyes were dubbed ‘the most brilliant invention ever produced in the interests of road safety’. He insisted on staying in the old workshop he had worked in with his father even though his business was growing.
The workshop was eventually expanded and built around Shaw’s favourite tree which was left to grow through the factory roof.
He never felt the need to move and continued to live in the house he had lived in since he was two years old. He was awarded the OBE (OBE is an order of the British Empire award, it is the second highest ranking) in 1965 and he died on the 1st of September 1976.
