NTL Record

Title Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume VIII: Phase II—Study 6: Detection of Pavement Markings During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather
Record ID 65689
Personal Name
Creator
Edwards, Christopher J.; Binder, Stephanie; Dingus, Thomas A.; Gibbons, Ronald B.; Hankey, Jonathan M.
Personal Name
Contributor
Andersen, Carl K.
Corporate Creator Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety Research and Development; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Publisher United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety Research and Development
Publication Date 20051201
Language English
Abstract Phase II—Study 6 was part of the Enhanced Night Visibility project, a larger research effort investigating drivers' visual performance during nighttime driving. Study 6 evaluated the possibility of improving the detection distances of pavement markings through the use of fluorescent materials, combined with augmentation of vehicle headlamps with UV–A sources. Three different pavement marking materials and 11 headlamp configurations,—vision enhancement systems (VESs)—were evaluated. The VESs studied included halogen low beam (HLB), high intensity discharge (HID), halogen high beam (HHB), and high output halogen (HOH) sources. Both the HLB and HID configurations were used in the systems augmented with UV–A sources. The pavement marking materials included fluorescent paint, fluorescent thermoplastic, and a two-component liquid system. Thirty participants from three age groups (young, middle-aged, and older) participated in the study. The results indicated that all of the VESs provided adequate minimal visibility distances for all of the pavement markings at the 40-km/h (25-mi/h) speed driven and that the supplemental UV–A did not improve the detection distances obtained with either the HID or the HLB headlamps. The liquid system and thermoplastic pavement markings outperformed the fluorescent paint. The report discusses the results and implications for both headlamp type and the pavement marking materials.
Rosap ID dot:38060
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/38060
TRT Terms Night visibility; Night vision; Traffic safety
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number DTFH61-98-C-00049
Report Number FHWA-HRT-04-139
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/65000/65600/65689/FHWA-HRT-04-139.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository