NTL Record

Title Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume XI: Phase II—Cost-Benefit Analysis
Record ID 65691
Personal Name
Creator
Gillespie, James S.
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 This volume of the Enhanced Night Visibility project is a cost-benefit analysis of the vision enhancement system (VES) and roadway marking technologies evaluated in the Phase II experiments of the Enhanced Night Visibility project. The cost-benefit analysis indicates that neither the ultraviolet-A (UV–A) headlamp nor the fluorescent pavement marking technologies are fully developed for implementation. Under the conditions simulated in the Virginia Smart Road tests, most of the combinations of experimental VESs and experimental marking materials show no net improvement in sight distance in comparison to the combination of halogen (i.e., tungsten-halogen) low-beam headlamps and a nonfluorescent pavement marking. The best-performing VES configurations were the halogen low beam (HLB) and five UV–A + HLB. HLB serves as the benchmark, with both its estimated crash reduction benefit and its incremental cost defined to be zero. The slight overall benefit of five UV–A + HLB over HLB would lead to a positive crash savings, but its cost of implementation would result in a cost-benefit ratio of 0.001 and in negative net benefits of less than zero. Among the pavement markings tested, the fluorescent paint generally performed worse than the fluorescent thermoplastic. Neither of the tested fluorescent pavement markings is forecast to generate positive benefits in comparison with the performance of the nonfluorescent pavement marking.
Rosap ID dot:38062
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/38062
TRT Terms Night visibility; Night vision; Traffic safety
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number DTFH61-98-C-00049
Report Number FHWA-HRT-04-142
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/65000/65600/65691/FHWA-HRT-04-142.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository