Opposing vehicles on roads in darkness constitute an increased risk as the visibility distance with dipped headlights is short. in recent years different suggestions to improve the visibility distance with dipped headlights have been brought up. No dramatic improvements have been made. A study of an additional meeting beam has been carried out in order to find out whether the drivers experience this additional light as lengthening the visibility distance and whether the oncoming drivers are influenced in a negative way. The study consists on the one hand of an inquiry among 101 professional drivers of buses, lorries and passenger cars who have tested the meeting beam in normal traffic and on the other hand of interviews with 111 drivers in oncoming vehicles. The result shows that most of the drivers who have tested the meeting beam, are of the opinion that the visibility distance is considerably improved in oncoming traffic. The advantages of the meeting beam are found especially in such situations as the detection of bus stops and waiting passengers. The interviews with the drivers in oncoming vehicles show, however, that 30% consider themselves to be disturbed by or subjected to glare from the meeting beam. The additional meeting beam now tested was evaluated for the first time in 1982. The test then referred to the measurement of visibility distances to obstacles on the road in oncoming traffic situations. The conclusion brought forward then concerning too strong glare from oncoming drivers still remains. An additional meeting beam fulfilling the demands specified previously and discussed further in this report should lengthen the visibility distance and increase the safety in situations with oncoming traffic. (Author/publisher)
Abstract