Citation

Hedblom TP, Bradshaw TI, May DC, Jacobs GF, Szczech TJ, Hodson NA, Austin RL. Transp. Res. Rec. 1993; 1409: 69-75.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A primary visual guide for a motor vehicle driver is the use of pavement markings on the centerline and edge line of the roadway. The nighttime visibility performance of these markings is predicted by a surrogate method of laboratory or field photometric measurement. There are currently several photometric systems in use that vary widely in geometric and precision capabilities. With the advent of modern pavement markings with a variety of retroreflective optical systems and surface characteristics, common retroreflective measurements in the laboratory and field have generally been found to lack correlation with the markings visibility performance of drivers. The nighttime visibility of new, dry centerline pavement markings as viewed from a stationary automobile and semitruck are compared with laboratory and field photometric measurements. The visibility results are compared with the photometric methods. The common test geometries used in the industry today are found to have poor correlation with driver visual perception at most distances. A laboratory test method has been developed with the hope of better characterizing actual pavement marking retroreflective performance. This test method measures products at the same photometric geometries at which a driver actually observes pavement markings. Excellent agreement between driver visual observation and this test method was obtained at multiple distances.

Record URL:
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1993/1409/1409-008.pdf

Language: en