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/

• 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.
• 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