Enhanced Night Visibility, Volume I: Executive Summary
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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Research, Development, and Technology
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296
FOREWORD
The overall goal of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Visibility Research Program is to enhance the safety of road users through near-term improvements of the visibility on and along the roadway. The program also promotes the advancement of new practices and technologies to improve visibility on a cost-effective basis.
The following document summarizes the results of a series of studies conducted under the Enhanced Night Visibility (ENV) project. The ENV project provided a comprehensive evaluation of evolving and proposed headlamp technologies in various weather conditions. The individual studies within the overall project are documented in an 18-volume series of FHWA reports, of which this is Volume I. It is anticipated that the reader will select those volumes that provide information of specific interest.
This report will be of interest to headlamp designers, automobile manufacturers and consumers, third-party headlamp manufacturers, human factors engineers, and people involved in headlamp and roadway specifications.
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Michael F. Trentacoste
Director, Office of Safety
Research and Development |
Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the
U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The
U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.
The
U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
Quality Assurance Statement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Technical Report Documentation Page
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1. Report No.
FHWA-HRT-04-132 |
2. Government Accession No. |
3. Recipient's Catalog No. |
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4. Title and Subtitle
Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume I:
Executive Summary
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5. Report Date
December 2005 |
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6. Performing Organization Code
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7. Author(s)
Jonathan M. Hankey, Myra Blanco, Ronald B. Gibbons, Shane B. McLaughlin, and Thomas A. Dingus |
8. Performing Organization Report No. |
| 9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
3500 Transportation Research Plaza
Blacksburg, VA 24061 |
10. Work Unit No.
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11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-98-C-00049 |
| 12. Sponsoring Agency
Name and Address
Office of Safety Research and Development
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296
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13.Type of Report and Period Covered
Final Report |
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14. Sponsoring Agency Code
HRDS-05 |
| 15. Supplementary Notes
Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR): Carl Andersen, HRDS-05
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16. Abstract
This volume, an executive summary of the Enhanced Night Visibility project, is the first of 18 volumes that report on the project's evaluation of the merit of implementing supplemental ultraviolet headlamps, supplemental infrared systems, and other vision enhancement systems (VESs) to enhance drivers' nighttime roadway safety. The entire project evaluated 18 VESs in terms of their ability to provide object detection and recognition. Objects included scenarios with pedestrians standing or walking in different locations on the roadway. Pedestrians were dressed in black, white, or blue clothing to produce varying levels of contrast with their surroundings. Detection and recognition testing took place in clear weather, rain, snow, and fog conditions. Project research also evaluated a subset of the VESs for their effect on drivers' disability and discomfort glare. The VESs were also tested for their value in facilitating drivers' detection of pavement markings and other traffic control devices. The results indicated that supplemental ultraviolet headlamps do not provide sufficient benefit to justify further testing; however, supplemental infrared vision enhancement systems do offer an improvement over headlamps alone for detection of pedestrians. Near infrared systems have the potential to provide an added benefit in detecting pedestrians in inclement weather, but the implementation of NIR technology is the key to achieving this benefit.
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| 17. Key Words
Age, Cyclist, Detection, Fog, Halogen, Headlamp, High Intensity Discharge (HID), Infrared, Night Vision, Nighttime, Pavement Markings, Pedestrian, Rain, Recognition, Snow, Traffic Control Devices, Ultraviolet, Vision Enhancement System, Weather
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18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service; Springfield, VA 22161.
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19. Security Classif. (of this report)
Unclassified
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20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified
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21. No. of Pages
27 |
22. Price |
Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized.
ENHANCED NIGHT VISIBILITY PROJECT REPORT SERIES
This volume is the first of 18 volumes in this research report series. Each volume is a different study or summary, and any reference to a report volume in this series will be referenced in the text as "ENV Volume I," "ENV Volume II," and so forth. A list of the report volumes follows:
| Volume |
Title |
Report Number |
| I |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Executive Summary |
FHWA-HRT-04-132 |
| II |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Overview of Phase I and
Development of Phase II Experimental Plan |
FHWA-HRT-04-133 |
| III |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 1: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-134 |
| IV |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 2: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Rain |
FHWA-HRT-04-135 |
| V |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 3: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Snow |
FHWA-HRT-04-136 |
| VI |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 4: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Fog |
FHWA-HRT-04-137 |
| VII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 5: Evaluation of
Discomfort Glare During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-138 |
| VIII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 6: Detection of
Pavement Markings During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-139 |
| IX |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Characterization of
Experimental Objects |
FHWA-HRT-04-140 |
| X |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Visual Performance
Simulation Software for Objects and Traffic Control Devices |
FHWA-HRT-04-141 |
| XI |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Cost-Benefit Analysis |
FHWA-HRT-04-142 |
| XII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Overview of Phase II and
Development of Phase III Experimental Plan |
FHWA-HRT-04-143 |
| XIII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Study 1: Comparison
of Near Infrared, Far Infrared, High Intensity Discharge, and Halogen Headlamps on Object Detection in Nighttime Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-144 |
| XIV |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Study 2: Comparison
of Near Infrared, Far Infrared, and Halogen Headlamps on Object Detection in Nighttime Rain |
FHWA-HRT-04-145 |
| XV |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Study 3: Influence of
Beam Characteristics on Discomfort and Disability Glare |
FHWA-HRT-04-146 |
| XVI |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Characterization of
Experimental Objects |
FHWA-HRT-04-147 |
| XVII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phases II and III—
Characterization of Experimental Vision Enhancement Systems |
FHWA-HRT-04-148 |
| XVIII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Overview of Phase III |
FHWA-HRT-04-149 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 2—PHASE I PLANNING
CHAPTER 3—PHASES II AND III VISUAL PERFORMANCE STUDIES
CHAPTER 4—PHASES II AND III GLARE STUDIES
CHAPTER 5—PAVEMENT MARKINGS
CHAPTER 6—CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
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