NIGHT DRIVING

LA CONDUITE DE NUIT

The author discusses the characteristics of night vision indicating how the reduction in the vision of shapes, lack of chromatic vision and reduction of the stereoscopic sense can affect night driving. Other phenomena described include nocturnal myopia and disability glare. The high number of accidents at night make it clear that drivers have difficulties when driving at night but the night vision of drivers is never tested. Glare is probably the most important factor in night driving. The eye takes a long time to adjust to one luminous level, but all luminances stronger than that level destroy this adaptation in less than a second. Re-establishing the adaptation always takes much longer than losing it, and an eye suddenly dis-adapted is momentarily incapable of the same performance. It is clearly desirable that roads are lighted at night. However, this solution is too costly and only junctions or stretches of roads are illuminated. In these cases, lighting levels should decrease gradually after leaving the zone of high luminance. It is suggested that tests should be conducted so that drivers are made aware of any physiological defects. The paper was originally published in French in the Proceedings of the First International Congress on Vision and Road Safety, Paris, 1975-02. (TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • MILLER, S
• Publication Date: 1979

Media Info

• Pagination: 7 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brightness; Conferences; Drivers; Eye; Glare; Luminance; Night; Night vision; Perception; Psychology; Street lighting; Translations; Vision
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
• ITRD Terms: 8525: Conference; 2086: Dark adaptation; 1340: Dipped headlight; 1772: Driver; 1855: Driving (veh); 1550: Driving licence; 2225: Experience (human); 1332: Foglamp; 1677: Glare; 1342: Headlamp; 9147: Interview; 6488: Length; 545: Lighting (street); 525: Luminance; 2752: Motorway; 9052: Night; 2229: Perception; 2255: Psychology; 8538: Translation; 9084: Use; 2066: Vision
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00322063
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRRL 2805 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 19 1981 12:00AM