VEHICLE FORWARD LIGHTING PERFORMANCE AND INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS. FINAL REPORT

THIS PROJECT WAS INSTITUTED TO STUDY MEANS OF IMPROVING SEEING DISTANCE IN NIGHT DRIVING. OBJECTIVES WERE TO DETERMINE HEADLAMP SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, DEVELOP PROCEDURES FOR COMPLIANCE TESTING AND FIELD INSPECTION, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UPDATING FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 108 COVERING VEHICLE LIGHTING. EXPERIMENTAL TESTING WAS CONDUCTED USING NEW AND PRESENT STANDARD HEADLIGHT SYSTEMS TO DETERMINE COMPARATIVE GLARE AND TARGET DETECTION DISTANCES. LAMPS USED IN SAID FIELD EVALUATION OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS WERE PHOTOMETERED USING CONTRACTOR-DEVELOPOED TECHNIQUES. A TOTAL OF EIGHT UNIQUE SYSTEMS WAS EVALUATED UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS, AND GLARE TOLERANCE BY THE DRIVING PUBLIC WAS INVESTIGATED ON PUBLIC ROADS IN FIVE GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS OF THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES. FROM ANALYSIS AND FIELD TESTS, A THREE-BEAM SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPED AS A PROPOSED SHORT-RANGE IMPROVEMENT IN VEHICLE LIGHTING, AND, FOR LONG-RANGE IMPROVEMENT, A SYSTEM OF POLARIZED LIGHTING. THE NECESSITY FOR AND, SAFETY EFFECTIVENESS OF SPEED-SENSITIVE, VARIABLE-INTENSITY LIGHTING SYSTEMS WERE INVESTIGATED. COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE VISUAL, MECHANICAL, AND PHOTOELECTRIC EQUIPMENT FOR AIM INSPECTION WAS USED AND EVALUATED, AND EFFECTS OF VEHICLE STRUCTURAL DETAILS, LOADING, AND OTHER FEATRUES ON AIM AND RETENTION OF AIM WERE INVESTIGATED. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS PERTAIN TO MOTOR VEHICLE STANDARD 108, COMPLIANCE TESTING, AND FURTHER STUDY. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • REPORT NO AR-814
• Corporate Authors:

  Southwest Research Institute

  6220 Culebra Road, P.O. Drawer 28510
  San Antonio, TX  United States  78228-0510
• Authors:
  • Hull, R W
  • Hemion, R H
  • Cadena, D G
  • Deal, B C
• Publication Date: 1971-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 120 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Glare; Headlamps; Motor vehicles; Night vision; Standards; Vehicle lighting
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221710
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 3 1972 12:00AM