COOPERATIVE ROAD TESTS OF NIGHT VISIBILITY THROUGH HEAT-ABSORBING GLASS
SEVENTEEN THOUSAND INDIVIDUAL OBSERVATIONS OF SEEING DISTANCE HAVE BEEN MADE IN ROAD TESTS CARRIED OUT COOPERATIVELY BY THE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, GENERAL ELECTRIC, AND GENERAL MOTORS. THE PURPOSE OF THE TESTS WAS TO DETERMINE, UNDER ACTUAL NIGHT DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE EFFECT OF HEAT-ABSORBING GLASS ON NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY. OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE OF THE DISTANCE AT WHICH OBSTACLES COULD FIRST BE SEEN FROM CARS TRAVELING 40 MPH. AGAINST APPROACHING HEADLIGHTS. THE TESTS WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED BY ROPER EXCEPT THAT THE SEEING TASK OF THE OBSERVER WAS MADE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IN SOME OF THESE MORE RECENT TESTS BY USING BLACKER OBSTACLES, BY USING A BLACK-TOP ROAD INSTEAD OF CONCRETE, AND BY REDUCING ILLUMINATION FROM THE HEADLIGHTS. THE AVERAGE DIFFERENCE IN NIGHTTIME SEEING DISTANCE THROUGH HEAT-ABSORBING GLASS COMPARED TO ORDINARY WINDSHIELD GLASS IN THESE EXPERIMENTS WAS AROUND 3 PERCENT. THIS AGREES WITH THE EARLIER OBSERVATIONS DESCRIBED BY ROPER TAKEN UNDER LESS DIFFICULT SEEING CONDITIONS. /AUTHOR/
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Supplemental Notes:
- No 127, pp 23-44, 29 FIG, 6 TAB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- Doane, Harry C
- Rassweiler, Gerald M
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Discussers:
- Richards, Oscar W
- Publication Date: 1956
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Pagination: 22p
- Monograph Title: Night visibility, 1955
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Bulletin
- Issue Number: 127
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Absorption; Bituminous materials; Concrete pavements; Glass; Headlamps; Heat; Night visibility; Road tests; Sight distance; Surface treating; Windshields
- Old TRIS Terms: Bituminous surfacing
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00220381
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: HS-023 499
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Apr 28 1994 12:00AM