DRIVER PREFERENCES FOR INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING LEVELS

This report identifies driver preferences for instrument cluster luminance/contrast levels. Thirty drivers (10 young Americans, 10 older Americans, and 10 Japanese) participated. Judgments (minimum, preferred, maximum, and dazzling) were obtained at nine sites along a 17-mile route in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each driver provided judgments for 5 test conditions (daytime--electronic cluster, with and without sunglasses; nighttime--electronic, green analog, and white analog clusters). An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of contrast ratios showed significant differences between the 3 clusters at night (electronic=178:1, green=82:1, and white=51:1). A t-test revealed significant differences between the electronic panel with (14:1) and without sunglasss (11:1). For the 5 conditions (with sunglasses, without sunglasses, electronic, green, and white), the preferred ratios were 14:1, 11:1, 186:1, 77:1, and 44:1, respectively. As expected, the order of the judgments from low to high contrast ratios was minimum (30:1), preferred (67:1), maximum (84:1), and dazzling (88:1). The maximum and dazzling judgments, however, were not significantly different. This was a function of the limited luminance range of the clusters, since 30% of the time the highest setting was not sufficient for the maximum judgment and 67% of the time it was not high enough for dazzling. Thus the contrasts for these two judgments were underestimated. Differences were found between young (64:1) and older (70:1) Americans, but not between American men and women or American and Japanese drivers. Prediction equations developed for contrast explain at least 84% of the variability for the preferred, maximum, and dazzling judgments.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

  2901 Baxter Road
  Ann Arbor, MI  United States  48109-2150
• Authors:
  • Serafin, C
  • Green, P
• Publication Date: 1990-3

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 126 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Analysis of variance; Consumer behavior; Consumer preferences; Contrast; Drivers; Equations; Ergonomics; Forecasting; Human factors; Instrument panels; Luminous intensity; Motor vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver age
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00610230
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTRI-90-5, HS-040 932, DRDA 89-1947
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 30 1991 12:00AM