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Title:

Assessment of Nighttime Visibility of Realistic Targets Using a Video-Based Simulation of Virginia Smart Road

Accession Number:

01152093

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Abstract:

A dynamic driving simulation investigated the visibility of realistic targets with variable levels of artificial illumination. 20 video clips were recorded on the Virginia Smart Road using a high resolution digital camera. Test clips contained roadway targets such as deer, tires, and pedestrians who entered the road from either the left or right sides. Road illumination levels varied from clip to clip: some included overhead luminaires, others were illuminated only by the vehicle's low-beam headlights. 16 licensed drivers watched the video clips and responded when they recognized a target. Participants’ response times were recorded, and their verbal identifications of target type and location were documented by the experimenter. The results showed that target size and motion significantly affected recognition time in dark conditions (no luminaires): walking pedestrians were recognized at the greatest distance followed by stationary pedestrians, deer, and the tire. Recognition was also affected by the side of the road from which pedestrians entered: pedestrians entering from the right were recognized from significantly longer distances than those entering from the left. Furthermore, recognition times for pedestrians under overhead lighting were significantly longer than for pedestrians illuminated only by headlights. These findings provide a preliminary assessment of the effects of target structure, motion, and lighting on drivers’ recognition of realistic objects. These results will be compared with performance of drivers currently being tested while driving on the Smart Road to clarify the validity of video-based night driving simulators.

Monograph Accession #:

01147878

Report/Paper Numbers:

10-3403

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Owens, D Alfred
Hunter, Megan
Zhang, Xiaoyu
Gibbons, Ronald B
Edwards, Christopher J
Viita, Derek

Pagination:

19p

Publication Date:

2010

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2010-1-10 to 2010-1-14
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

DVD

Features:

Figures (3) ; Photos (4) ; References; Tables (3)

Identifier Terms:

Virginia Smart Road

Uncontrolled Terms:

Transportation infrastructure

Geographic Terms:

Virginia

Subject Areas:

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2010 Paper #10-3403

Files:

TRIS, TRB

Created Date:

Jan 25 2010 11:43AM