EFFECT OF TINTED WINDSHIELDS ON NIGHTTIME-VISIBILITY DISTANCES

THE INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED TO ESTABLISH ACTUAL DRIVER TEST CONDITIONS WHICH WOULD INDICATE WHETHER OR NOT ANY DIFFERENCES IN NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY DISTANCES RESULT FROM A CHANGE IN THE COLOR AND VISIBLE LIGHT TRANSMITTABLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. DRIVERS WERE PERFORMING UNDER ACTUAL ROADWAY CONDITIONS WITH VISIBILITY DISTANCES MEASURED BY A RECORDER MOUNTED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE TINTED GLASS USED HAS A VISIBLE LIGHT TRAMSMITTANCE OF 71%, MEASURED PERPENDICULAR TO THE SURFACE. CLEAR GLASS WAS EMPLOYED AS A STANDARD WHICH HAS TRANSMITTANCE OF 89%. RESULTS SHOWED GREAT VARIATIONS IN THE EFFECT OF TINTED GLASS ON VISIBILITY DISTANCES AS COMPARED TO CLEAR GLASS. THE GREATER PART OF THE DATA OBTAINED SHOWED CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY WHERE THE GREEN-TINTED GLASS WAS USED. ITS USE APPEARS TO CAUSE A REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY DISTANCES IN NIGHT DRIVING. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE 70-PERCENT-MINIMUM LUMINOUS TRANSMITTANCE REQUIREMENT FOR WINDSHIELDS IN THE AMERICAN STANDARD SAFETY CODE BE RECONSIDERED.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/68/68-001.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 68, pp 1-15, 2 FIG, 9 TAB, 3 REF Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Heath, Warren
  • FINCH, D M
• Publication Date: 1953

Media Info

• Monograph Title: Effect of tinted windshields and vehicle headlighting on night visibility
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 68
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Color; Drivers; Headlamps; Light; Night visibility; Testing; Transmissions; Vehicle lighting; Vision; Windshields
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision; Tints /materials/
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00220372
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 21 1994 12:00AM