STUDY OF VISUAL DISCOMFORT CAUSED BY THE USE OF FLASHING LIGHTS

THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF TWO STUDIES CARRIED OUT TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER FLASHING LIGHTS, PLACED ON OR NEAR ROAD SIGNS, ACTUALLY IMPAIRS SIGN LEGIBIITY. IN THE FIRST STUDY, TWO TYPES OF EQUIPMENT, DISCHARGE LIGHTS AND CONVENTIONAL INCANDESCENT FLASHING LIGHTS, WERE COMPARED BY MEASURING THE READING DISTANCES OF SIGNS EQUIPPED WITH THESE TWO TYPES OF LIGHT. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY DID NOT REVEAL SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE READING DISTANCES OBTAINED WITH THE VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS. THE SECOND EXPERIMENT WAS CARRIED OUT USING ONLY DISCHARGE LIGHTS OF DIFFERENT POWERS. THE SAME EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE WAS REPEATED. IN ADDITION TO MEASURING THE READING DISTANCE, THE DISCOMFORT EXPERIENCED BY THE OBSERVERS WAS ASSESSED. A SUBJECTIVE SCALE OF DISCOMFORT WITH FIVE LEVELS FROM "NO DISCOMFORT" TO "EXTREME DISCOMFORT" WAS USED. THE MAIN RESULT IS THAT THE "DISCOMFORT INDEX" THUS OBTAINED VARIES SIGNIFICANTLY WITH BOTH THE NUMBER AND THE POWER OF THE DISCHARGE LIGHTS, WHEREAS THE READING DISTANCE ONLY VARIES WITH THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS. THIS CORROBORATES THE HYPOTHESIS OF DISCOMFORT GLARE. (A) FOR THE COVERING ABSTRACT OF THE CONFERENCE SEE IRRD 858984.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0444893628
• Corporate Authors:

  NORTH-HOLLAND

  P O BOX 211
  AMSTERDAM,   Netherlands  1000 AE
• Authors:
  • GRATIA, G
  • PAUMIER, J-L
  • COLOMB, M
  • Dore, J
• Publication Date: 1993

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 53-60
• Serial:
  • VISION IN VEHICLES IV. PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON VISION IN VEHICLES, UNIVERSITY OF LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS, 27-29 AUGUST, 1991
  • Publisher: NORTH-HOLLAND

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Comfort; Conferences; Flashing traffic signals; Legibility; Luminous intensity; Perception; Test procedures; Traffic signs; Visibility distance; Vision
• ITRD Terms: 9138: Comfort; 8525: Conference; 514: Flashing light; 540: Legibility; 505: Light intensity; 2229: Perception; 6288: Test method; 553: Traffic sign; 6793: Visibility distance; 2066: Vision
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00639307
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
• ISBN: 0 444 89362 8
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Dec 13 1993 12:00AM