Posted on 01/21/2007 3:50:16 PM PST by neverdem
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, receives a 2-year, $890,012 grant to study how headlight glare may increase driver discomfort and diminish visibility.
RPI’s Lighting Research Center scientists will examine the effects of headlight glare and propose solutions to minimize glare that affects the eyesight of oncoming motorists.
“Recent headlamp technologies are presenting new oncoming appearances for drivers, which have resulted in increased complaints of glare” to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin., says Mark Rea, LRC director.
“The LRC is conducting research to examine the intensity, color and size of oncoming headlamps and determine the effects of these parameters on visibility, as well as impressions of visual discomfort.”
Rea says a driver’s visibility may be diminished by glare without noticeable discomfort. LRC researchers say there are unanswered questions relating to how new lighting technologies affect visibility, glare, driver behavior and safety.
LRC will report its findings to the U.S. Congress as required by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act of 2005. Westat Inc. will administer the LRC grant.
Rensselaer lays claim to being the country’s oldest technological university, and its LRC says it is the nation’s leading university-based lighting research center.
© 2007 Prism Business Media
It's hell getting old, ain't it?
The problem is, these new lamps burn out fast and they are expensive. So people drive with their brights on.
I think the lamps ought to work for more than a year.
Have you tried wearing yellow tinted glasses? It helps me.
Yes, oncoming headlights even on low-beam with the newer zenon ones create problems when they are coming at you. EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS THIS, so why does nearly a million dollars of taxpayer money need to be spent to study this?
xenon is correct
xenon.
I guess the nanny state will be banning these soon too.
What gets me are the yay-hoos that drive the trucks and cars with what are essentially four headlights. They can get pretty bright on rural highways even on low beam.
I wear shooting glasses they have the perfect yellow tint.
I agree that some of the new headlights are too bright even on low beam.
The killer is SUV lights on cars that are low to the ground - I have an Acura Integra and it can be pretty brutal.
Also I see people just leaving their highbeams on all the time too.
Ted Nugent used to have an old Bronco that had a dozen or more lights across the roof and front bumper. He said they were designed to know your eyeballs to the back of your skull at three quarters of a mile.
We were carefull about flashing our lights at anyone, just in case.
I have some background in headlight design. At the time I did that, there were standards that would not have allowed what we have now on most cars. It is amusing to watch cars drive by and lighting up the tops of trees all the way from 300 yards until they pass by.
It's just more class warfare: the more expensive vehicles have the good headlights, so we have to ban them so everyone is equally unsafe, but still have high self esteem.
Maybe to get these pernicious creations outlawed? I used to enjoy holiday evenings with the rest of my family. If they document that they cause increased morbidity and mortality, well so much more reason.
And yet, ever since the 1950's & 6-volt systems, the dimming distances have not changed.
As to rural roads, there seem to be a lot of drivers who simply don't understand that no matter how bright their lights are, they still can't see any farther than the next dip or bend in the road.
The new (top of the line) lights you see are HID; not xenon. They never burn out since they don't have a filament.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.