Government Documents (VTTI)

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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume I: Executive Summary
    Hankey, Jonathan M.; Blanco, Myra; Gibbons, Ronald B.; McLaughlin, Shane B.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    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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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume II: Overview of Phase I and Development of Phase II Experimental Plan
    Dingus, Thomas A.; Allen, Gary R.; Brich, Stephen C.; Neale, Vicki L.; Schroeder, Aaron D.; Blanco, Myra; Schnell, Thomas; Gillespie, James S.; Schroeder, Tracey T.; Simmons, Carole J.; Hankey, Jonathan M. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    The focus of the Phase I effort was on the establishment of performance and design objectives to facilitate the deployment of ultraviolet A (UV-A) headlamps. This report describes the plan to develop UV-A headlamp specifications, evaluate fluorescent infrastructure materials, quantify glare and photobiological risks, expand the cost/benefit analysis, and demonstrate and implement the UV-A technology. It also includes a literature review that was conducted before the Phase II studies. As is often the case in large projects, some of the planned work eventually changed or was replaced to address more pressing issues. The later volumes of this report series detail what research occurred and why.
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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume III: Phase II - Study 1: Visual Performance During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather
    Blanco, Myra; Hankey, Jonathan M.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    Phase II-- Study 1 was performed as a stepping stone to expand the knowledge of how different vision enhancement systems can affect detection and recognition of different types of objects. The empirical testing for this study was performed on the Smart Road testing facility during clear weather conditions. A total of 30 participants were involved in the study. A 12 by 9 by 3 mixed-factorial design was used to investigate the effects of different types of vision enhancement systems, types of objects on the roadway, and driver's age on detection and recognition distances; subjective evaluations were obtained for the different systems as well. The results of the empirical testing suggest that no vision enhancement system consistently performs best in clear weather conditions. However, the halogen headlamp tested (low-beam configuration) consistently provided one of the longest detection and recognition distances, and even when other systems provided farther detection distances, these distances were generally not significantly different from halogen low beam. The only exception was the infrared thermal imaging system tested, which resulted in significantly farther detection distances for pedestrians and cyclists wearing dark-colored (low-contrast) clothing.
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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume IV: Phase II - Study 2: Visual Performance During Nighttime Driving in Rain
    Blanco, Myra; Hankey, Jonathan M.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    Phase II, Study 2 (rainy weather) was performed following the same procedures used for Study 1 (clear weather). Study 2 helped expand the knowledge of how current vision enhancement systems can affect detection and recognition of different types of objects while driving during adverse weather, specifically during rain conditions. The empirical testing for this study was performed on the Virginia Smart Road; the rain was controlled by weather making equipment. Thirty participants were involved in the study. A 12 by 7 by 3 mixed factorial design was used to investigate the effects of different types of vision enhancement systems, different types of objects on the roadway, and driver's age on detection and recognition distances; subjective evaluations also were obtained for the different vision enhancement systems. The results of the empirical testing suggest that vision enhancement systems that include halogen headlamps as their main component (i.e., halogen alone or halogen with ultraviolet A) consistently allow drivers the best detections during rain conditions. In fact, the halogen headlamp (low-beam configuration) provides the longest detection and recognition distances overall; in the few trials where other systems allow farther detection distances, these differences did not represent meaningful improvements. Even drivers using the infrared thermal imaging system, which resulted in farther detection distances for pedestrians and cyclists under clear conditions, perform no differently in the rain than when only the low beams of the vehicle were used.
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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume VII: Phase II—Study 5: Evaluation of Discomfort Glare During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather
    Porter, Richard J.; Hankey, Jonathan M.; Binder, Stephanie C.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    Phase II—Study 5 helped expand the knowledge of how current vision enhancement systems (VESs) affect the discomfort glare experienced by nighttime drivers. The empirical testing for this study was performed on the Smart Road. Sixty participants were involved in the study, which consisted of two data collection efforts. An 11 (VES) by 3 (Age) experimental design was used to investigate the effects of different types of VESs and driver’s age on discomfort glare. In addition, an evaluation of the Schmidt-Clausen and Bindels equation was performed to determine its predictive value in driving scenarios with oncoming glare. The results of the empirical testing suggest that halogen headlamps selected for this testing produce more discomfort glare than the high intensity discharge headlamps tested. There was also some indication that ultraviolet (UV)–A may add slightly to discomfort glare. In addition, modifications of the Schmidt-Clausen and Bindels equation may provide headlamp designers with insight into how drivers will rate discomfort glare of proposed headlamps.
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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume XII: Overview of Phase II and Development of Phase III Experimental Plan
    Hankey, Jonathan M.; Blanco, Myra; Neurauter, Michael L.; Gibbons, Ronald B.; Porter, Richard J.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    This volume provides an overview of the six studies that compose Phase II of the Enhanced Night Visibility project and the experimental plan for its third and final portion, Phase III. The Phase II studies evaluated up to 12 vision enhancement systems in terms of drivers' ability to detect and recognize objects, visibility of pavement markings, and discomfort caused by glare from oncoming headlamps. Drivers' ability to detect and recognize objects was assessed in clear, rain, fog, and snow conditions. The results indicated that supplemental ultraviolet headlamps do not provide sufficient benefit to justify further testing. The performance of supplemental infrared (IR) vision enhancement systems, on the other hand, was robust enough to suggest further investigation. As a result, additional IR testing, disability glare testing, and off-axis object detection on the Virginia Smart Road were proposed as a replacement for public road Phase III testing with UV-A. The details of the experimental plan for each of these testing areas are provided in the Phase III portion of this report.