PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN AUTOMOBILE REAR LIGHTING

THE REAR LIGHTING AND SIGNALING SYSTEM OF AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES WAS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE COMPONENT OF THE TRAFFIC SYSTEM WHICH WAS AMENABLE TO DEVELOPMENT TO PROVIDE IMPROVEMENTS IN DRIVER PERFORMANCE AND, HENCE, IN ACCIDENT REDUCTION. THE PROBLEM WAS DISCUSSED IN THE CONTEXT OF PRIMARY AND AUGMENTING CUE UTILIZATION BY DRIVERS. VARIOUS DISPLAY TECHIQUES WERE SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATED EMPLOYING NUMBER, FUNCTIONAL SEPARATION AND COLOR CODING IN ADDITION TO INTENSITY AND FLASH CODING NOW USED. A STATIC DRIVING SIMULATION AND ACTUAL DRIVING TESTS SHOWED THAT NUMBER CODING, FUNCTIONAL SEPARATION AND COLOR WERE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING FOLLOWING DRIVER RESPONSE TIME, MISSED SIGNALS AND ERRORS. RATINGS OF SIGNAL SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS CORRELATED WELL WITH OBJECTIVE DATA. STUDIES CONCERNED WITH COLOR DISCRIMINATION AND VISIBILITY IN CLEAR AND FOG ATMOSPHERES SHOWED THAT GREEN-BLUE WOULD BE A PRACTICAL PRESENCE LIGHT COLOR. DUAL-INTENSITY SIGNALS AND PRESENCE LIGHTS, AND FORWARD-MOUNTED REPEATER TURN SIGNALS, WERE RECOMMENDED. THE MOST EFFECTIVE SYSTEM FOR GIVING THOSE SIGNALS NOW IN USE SHOULD HAVE SEPARATE PRESENCE, TURN AND STOP SIGNAL LAMPS WHICH SHOULD BE COLOR CODED GREEN-BLUE, AMBER AND RED. PRELIMINARY DETAILS OF THE OPERATION, MOUNTING CONSTRAINTS, CANDLEPOWER, ETC., OF SUCH A SYSTEM ARE SUGGESTED. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • pp 586-598, 7 FIG, 9 TAB, 28 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  Intl Auto Sfty Conf Compendium

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Mortimer, R G
• Publication Date: 1970

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Color codes; Driver performance; Drivers; Information display systems; Personnel performance; Reaction time; Rear lighting; Signal lights; Vehicle lighting; Vision
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction
• Old TRIS Terms: Displays; Driver psychology; Driver vision; Rear lights
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221052
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 12 1970 12:00AM