ARE STANDARDS OF COLOUR VISION IN THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRIES JUSTIFIED?

This paper reviews the evidence relating to colour vision standards in the transport industries and concludes that a strong case can be made for the retention of colour vision standards in public transport. Several laboratory and field investigations of the ability of colour vision defective observers to correctly identify coloured signal lights are summarised to show that such observers often make errors and are usually significantly slower in their responses. However it is noted that some colour vision defective observers are better at the recognition of distant signal lights than some observers with normal colour vision. Protan observers, those whose visual system lacks a normal red absorbing cone receptor, make more errors than observers with other kinds of defective colour vision and in addition have a very substantially reduced visual range for red signal lights. They are also found by two studies to be more likely to be involved in road accidents than are drivers with normal colour vision. Four well constructed studies, two that relate to road transport and two to aviation, show that those with defective colour vision are more likely to be involved in accidents than are colour normal observers. The report was prepared for Australia Department of Aviation. (TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  Victorian College of Optometry

  374 Cardigan Street
  Carlton, Victoria,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Vingrys, A J
  • Cole, B L
• Publication Date: 1985-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 35 p.
• Serial:
  • TECHNICAL REPORT
  • Publisher: INDUSTRILOGIK L4I AB

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation; Color; Color blindness; Drivers; Highway transportation; Public transit; Red clearance interval; Traffic crashes; Traffic signals; Vision
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 9002: Blue; 6784: Colour; 2077: Colour blindness; 6440: Error; 599: Green light; 2247: Reaction (human); 539: Red light; 6967: Signal; 565: Traffic signal; 1155: Transport; 2066: Vision; 9089: White; 9092: Yellow
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Highways; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00462549
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 28 1987 12:00AM