EFFECTIVENESS OF SIDE-MARKER LAMPS

This report deals with the effectiveness of side-marker lamps on increasing vehicle visibility and hence reducing the number or the severity of intersection accidents occurring in darkness. The Federal Safety Standards mandated side-marker lamps on all 1968 and subsequent model year vehicles. Thus the study group consisted of 1968 and 1969 model vehicles with side marker lamps and a control group of 1965-1967 model vehicles without this feature. The study was controlled for light conditions at the time of the accidents. It is concluded that side marker lamps do significantly decrease the number and the severity of intersection accidents occuring during darkness. To a lesser extent, it was found that the vehicles with side marker lamps were involved in fewer daytime intersection collisions and these collisions were not as severe as the collisions involving older vehicles. (Author)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Available in microfiche only at NHTSA.
• Corporate Authors:

  New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

  Governor Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
  Albany, NY  United States  12228

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  Division of Mathematical Analysis, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Negri, D B
• Publication Date: 1971-5

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: 11 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash severity; Crashes; Intersections; Lamps; Lighting systems; Night; Signal face; Vehicle characteristics; Vehicle lighting
• Old TRIS Terms: Exterior lighting; Side marker lamps
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222070
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: FH-11-6799-1, HS-039 307
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 31 1986 12:00AM