Motorcycle Conspicuity and the Effect of Auxiliary Forward Lighting

A field experiment was conducted with 32 participants to determine whether the conspicuity of approaching motorcycles viewed in daylight may be improved by various forward lighting treatments. The treatments tested included pairs of low‐mounted auxiliary lamps (LA), high‐mounted auxiliary lamps (HA), both high‐ and low‐mounted auxiliary lamps (LHA), low‐mounted light emitting diode lamps (LED), and a modulated high beam headlamp (MHB). Participants viewed approaching traffic and indicated when it would be safe (and not safe) to initiate a left turn across the path of approaching vehicles in an opposing lane of traffic. They were not informed that the specific purpose of the study was to examine their reactions to motorcycles. Researchers also recorded participant’s direction of gaze continuously with a head‐mounted eye tracker. The mean safety margin provided to an approaching motorcycle with various lighting treatments did not differ significantly between any of the experimental lighting treatments and the baseline treatment (illuminated low beam headlamp). However, having either LA or MHB lamps on the motorcycle significantly reduced the probability of obtaining a short safety margin (< 3.44 seconds) as compared to the baseline lighting treatment. Eye tracking data indicated that the average duration of participants’ gazes at the motorcycle were significantly longer with the LHA lighting as compared to the baseline condition. These results should be interpreted cautiously in light of differences that were observed between participants who reported using a landmark‐based strategy to judge when it was no longer safe to turn in front of approaching vehicles and participants who used other strategies. Overall the results suggest that enhancing the frontal conspicuity of motorcycles with lighting treatments beyond an illuminated low beam headlamp may be an effective countermeasure for daytime crashes involving right‐of‐way violations.

• Record URL:
  http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811507.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Westat

  1650 Research Boulevard
  Rockville, MD  United States  20850

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Jenness, James W
  • Huey, Richard W
  • McCloskey, Shawn
  • Singer, Jeremiah
  • Walrath, Jeremy
  • Lubar, Elisha
  • Lerner, Neil D
• Publication Date: 2011-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 63p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Daylight; Daytime running lamps; Eye movements; Field tests; High beamed headlamps; Light emitting diodes; Low beamed headlamps; Motorcycles; Vehicle lighting; Vehicle lighting devices; Visibility
• Uncontrolled Terms: Auxiliary headlamps; Gaze direction
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01367865
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-811 507
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22‐05‐D‐01002
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 13 2012 3:54PM