CONTROLLED REFLECTION. A PLAN FOR GREATER SAFETY IN NIGHT DRIVING

LACK OF VISIBILITY, GLARE AND THE SMOOTH CONDITION OF THE PAVEMENTS ARE ALL REMEDIABLE. IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE SURFACE OF THE PAVEMENT BE GIVEN A FLUTED SURFACE, WITH SMALL NEARLY-VERTICAL REFLECTORS WHICH WILL REFLECT THE LIGHT OF THE HEADLIGHTS BACK TO THE DRIVER TO GIVE VISIBILITY AND NOT FORWARD TO PRODUCE GLARE. THE ROUGHNESS WILL NOT CAUSE NOTICEABLE ROUGHNESS OR NOISE BUT WILL ALLOW WATER TO FLOW AROUNG THE HIGH POINTS AND PREVENT SKIDDING. THE REFLECTORS MAY FIRST BE TRIED OUT FOR THE CENTER STRIP OR DIVIDING LINE, OR FOR CURBS AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BUT THEY SHOULD IN TIME COVER THE ENTIRE PAVEMENT SO THAT THE ENTIRE HIGHWAY WILL BE HIGHLY ILLUMINATED SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET AHEAD, WITHOUT OTHER SOURCE OF LIGHT THAN THE DRIVER'S OWN HEAD-LIGHTS. SPECIAL TREATMENT IS SUGGESTED FOR CROSSINGS, CURVES AND ROAD-SIGNS WHICH WILL BE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL. QUESTIONS AS TO METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION, DURABILITY AND COST ARE TO BE CONSIDERED. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/24/24-015.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 24, pp 147-157, 16 FIG. 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:
  • Bingham, E C
• Publication Date: 1945

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board (Unassembled)
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 24
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Control; Driving; Glare; Highway safety; Light; Night; Night visibility; Pavement grooving; Pavements; Reflection; Reflectorized materials; Roughness; Skid resistance; Skidding; Visibility
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221302
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 13 1971 12:00AM