Evaluation of the Impact of Spectral Power Distribution on Driver Performance

Details

• Creators:
  Gibbons, Ronald B. ; Meyer, Jason E. ; Terry, Travis N. ; Bhagavathula, Rajaram ; Lewis, Alan ; Flanagan, Michael ; Connell, Caroline
• Corporate Creators:
  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety Research and Development
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Driver performance
  • Drivers
  • Evaluation
  • Eye movements
  • Headlamps
  • Highway safety
  • Human factors
  • Street lighting
  • Vision Highways
  • Safety and Human Factors
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-HRT-15-047
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  09/24/2010–01/31/2015
• Corporate Publisher:
  Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Abstract:
  This project is a complete investigation of the impact of light-source spectrum on driver visual performance. In a series of human factors experiments, the effect of overhead lighting and headlamp spectral power distribution was evaluated with respect to driver detection and recognition of large and small objects and pedestrians. The potential for applying mesopic multiplying factors to roadway lighting was also evaluated, as was a momentary peripheral illuminator system’s effects on driver visual performance and eye-glance behavior. The results indicate that, although the momentary peripheral illuminator improved one measure of pedestrian detection, it was also a distraction to drivers. The results also indicate that at higher speeds, neither light-source spectrum nor mesopic multiplying factors apply, but mesopic multiplying factors are applicable to lighting design for lower-speed roadways and other nondriving environments.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTFH61-10-C-00032
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/35871/dot_35871_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.40 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:735c5407f5afbc07adbfcee684e42074eec80eadff3a5306c745ff7b7a5e5ff26ea8f3f7392ca72772a9b1e7f6717d94dd9de24fbf5bb44b55a7df27bd7496e7