In the United States, pedestrian deaths account for nearly 20 percent of all traffic fatalities. During darkness the pedestrian's risk is increased, and is further increased if a pedestrian is wearing dark clothing or must travel on a roadway concurrently with a driver who has been drinking. In the laboratory phase of this study it was found that at low levels of illumination an individual's sensitivity to contrast decreases as his blood alcohol level increases. In the road test phase, visibility distances were found to be unacceptably short for "dummy" pedestrians covered with black or grey fabric.' Dummies covered with white fabric were safely visible for a driver travelling at speeds up to 50 mph; however, only reflectorized dummies were safely visible above that speed. As blood alcohol levels of the observers increased, the visibility distance decreased for each of the simulated pedestrian conditions.
Abstract