However, countries and areas categorize and specify road surface markings in different ways.

Road surface markings are either mechanical, non-mechanical, or temporary.

Road surface markings are traffic control devices that are applied directly to the road surfaces.

Road surface markings are used on paved roadways to provide guidance and information to drivers and pedestrians.

This includes obtaining police reports of crashes, observing road user behavior, and collecting information on traffic signs, road surface markings, traffic lights and road geometry.

The MUTCD specifies such things as the size, color and height of traffic signs, traffic signals and road surface markings.

Shared space is an urban design approach which seeks to minimise demarcations between vehicle traffic and pedestrians, often by removing features such as curbs, road surface markings, traffic signs, and regulations.

It focuses mainly on research for safe and efficient traffic flow, such as road geometry, sidewalks and crosswalks, segregated cycle facilities, shared lane marking, traffic signs, road surface markings and traffic lights.

Preventive measures include traffic signs and road surface markings to help guide drivers through curves, as well as separating opposing lanes of traffic with wide central reservation (or median) and median barriers to prevent crossover incidents.