Citation

Walton NE, Messer CJ. Transp. Res. Rec. 1974; 502: 9-21.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1974, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper evaluates whether efficient and effective vehicle control is probable within a given night driving environment. A warranting scheme for roadway lighting is developed based on whether efficient and effective vehicle control can be achieved. Driver visual work load is used as the measure of effectiveness for vehicle control. Driver task levels are defined for the computation of work load or information demand. The task levels are positional, primarily routine speed and lane position control; situational, changes in speed, direction of travel, or position as a result of changes in situations; and navigational, selecting and following a route. Information demand is defined to be the time, in seconds, required to fulfill a sequence of positional, situational, navigational, and redundant positional information searches. Information supply is defined to be the time, in seconds, representing the visibility distance ahead for a given operating speed. When information demand exceeds information supply without roadway lighting, then roadway lighting is assumed to be warranted. Formulas for the computation of information demand, information supply, warranting conditions, and priorities are included.

Language: en