EFFECTS OF HIGHWAY LIGHTING ON DRIVER BEHAVIOR

LIMITED DATA INDICATE THAT THE BEHAVIOR OF DRIVERS OPERATING UNDER ARTIFICIAL LIGHT MAY CONFORM VERY NEARLY TO THEIR BEHAVIOR IN THE DAYTIME, BUT THAT THE BEHAVIOR OF NIGHTTIME DRIVERS WITHOUT OVERHEAD LIGHTS MAY DIFFER MEASURABLY FROM THEIR BEHAVIOR IN THE DAYTIME. IN THESE OBSERVATIONS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BEHAVIORS OF DRIVERS DURING DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS WERE MOST APPARENT IN THE FREQUENCY OF PASSING AND IN THE TRANSVERSE POSITIONS OF VEHICLES ON THE PAVEMENT. THERE IS INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT SPEED MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED. DURING DAYTIME THE DRIVERS UTILIZED 57.7 PERCENT OF THE AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PASSING AS COMPARED TO 55.6 PERCENT DURING NIGHTTIME WITH THE HIGHWAY LIGHTED. AT NIGHT WITH THE HIGHWAY UNLIGHTED THE DRIVERS UTILIZED ONLY 38.5 PERCENT OF THE AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PASSING. THE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS OF TRANSVERSE POSITIONS WERE ALMOST IDENTICAL FOR CONDITIONS OF DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME WITH THE HIGHWAY LIGHTED, BUT THERE IS A MARKED DIFFERENCE IN THESE DISTRIBUTIONS FOR CONDITIONS OF DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME WITH THE HIGHWAY UNLIGHTED. THE AVERAGE POSITION OF THE RIGHT WHEEL OF PASSENGER CARS MOVING FREELY WAS 3.3 FT. FROM THE EDGE OF A 20-FT. PAVEMENT DURING BOTH DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME WITH THE HIGHWAY LIGHTED. WITH THE HIGHWAY UNLIGHTED, THIS AVERAGE POSITION WAS ONE-HALF FOOT NEARER THE CENTER OF THE ROADWAY. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/20/20-029.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 20, pp 511 - 522, 11 FIG, 4 TAB; part of Report of Special Committee on Highway Lighting Research. 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.
• Authors:
  • Walker, W P
• Discussers:
  • Marsh, B
  • Barnett, J
• Publication Date: 1941

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Twentieth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board Held at Washington, D.C. December 3-6, 1940
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 20
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Center lines; Drivers; Lighting; Night visibility; Passing; Pavements; Street lighting
• Uncontrolled Terms: Edges
• Old TRIS Terms: Overhead lighting
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221300
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 23 1971 12:00AM