Cool for cats

Cat's Eyes have been voted numer one in a list of the 20th century’s greatest inventions in a survey commissioned by the Audi Design Foundation.

The rubber-encased reflectors topped a list that included Concorde, the Thermos Flask, the Swiss Army Knife and the Dyson vacuum cleaner. Cat’s Eyes made their first appearance on roads in 1934 and have provded an invaluable friend to nightime drivers for almost 70 years.

Inventor Percy Shaw came up with idea when the shining eyes of a cat reflecting in his headlights saved him from driving off a fog-bound.