IMPACT OF USING LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (LEDS) ON RECOGNITION OF COLORED LIGHT SIGNALS BY COLOR VISION DEFICIENT DRIVERS

Traffic signals must provide a conspicuous signal to a wide variety of drivers over a broad range of environmental and geometric conditions. The incandescent traffic signal, developed from existing maritime and railroad signaling systems, was a compromise between luminous efficiency and color saturation. While higher color saturation might result in an improved recognition level, with incandescent systems it also results in a lower intensity--which decreases detection and recognition distances. The use of direct-emitting sources may allow for rejection of such compromises. This paper evaluates the impact of using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as the source for traffic signals, on drivers with color vision deficiency. While traffic lights are presented at suprathreshold levels, much of this work is pertinent to other forms of transport signaling, including lights producing a far lower illuminance at the observer's eye.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available only on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Iowa, Iowa City

  Center for Computer Aided Design, Engineering Research Facility
  Iowa City, IA  United States  52242
• Authors:
  • Andersen, C K
• Conference:
  • 16th Biennial Symposium on Visibility and Simulation
  • Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City
  • Date: 2002-6-2 to 2002-6-4
• Publication Date: 2002

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 11p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile drivers; Color blind persons; Highway safety; Highway transportation; Human factors; Incandescent lamps; Light emitting diodes; Lighting; Traffic engineering; Traffic signals; Visual perception
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00927868
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 2 2002 12:00AM