NIGHT DRIVING VISIBILITY WITH PRESENT EUROPEAN HEADLIGHTS
USING VISIBILITY DISTANCE AS A CRITERION, HALOGEN AND CONVENTIONAL EUROPEAN HIGH AND LOW BEAMS WERE COMPARED IN A SERIES OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS. THE MAIN RESULTS WERE AS FOLLOWS. ON HIGH BEAM WITHOUT OPPOSING LIGHT VISIBILITY DISTANCES ARE ACCEPTABLE. THE HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS OFFERED ABOUT 25% LONGER VISIBILITY DISTANCES (190M) THAN THE CONVENTIONAL HEADLIGHTS (155M). WITH BOTH OPPOSING CARS USING LOW BEAM, VISIBILITY DISTANCES EVEN UNDER THESE VERY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS WERE QUITE INSUFFICIENT (45-55M). THERE WAS A SLIGHT ADVANTAGE (UP TO 5M) IN FAVOUR OF HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS. THE OPTIMAL DIPPING DISTANCE WAS A FUNCTION OF HIGH BEAM SYSTEM (INTENSITY) RATHER THAN LOW BEAM SYSTEM. SMALL DIFFERENCES IN AIMING, ATMOSPHERE ETC. CAUSED LARGER DIFFERENCES IN VISIBILITY DISTANCES THAN DID THE HEADLIGHT SYSTEM. /TRRL/
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Corporate Authors:
Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
Bezuidenhoutseweg 62
The Hague, Netherlands 2594 AW -
Authors:
- Rumar, K
- Publication Date: 1972
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Figures; References;
- Pagination: 12 p.
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Serial:
- Psychological Aspects of Driver Behaviour
- Publisher: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Driving; Halogens; High beamed headlamps; Low beamed headlamps; Night; Sight distance; Visibility
- Old TRIS Terms: Dipping; High beamed headlights; Low beamed headlights
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00222501
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
- Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper, HS-013 476, HS-013 490
- Contract Numbers: PHS-UI00066
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Apr 11 1974 12:00AM