New developments in headlighting and rearview mirror technology have increased the need to understand possible effects of color of a glare source on experienced glare. To address this need, a laboratory experiment was performed in which 16 subjects, 8 younger and 8 older, gave numerical ratings of the discomfort glare they experienced from monochromatic stimuli of 480, 505, 550, 577, 600, and 650 nm, which had been approximately equated in lux values. The results suggest that the proper choice of color for headlamps or rearview mirrors may provide substantial reductions in discomfort glare. However, conclusions must be tentative because most practical stimuli will have complex, rather than monochromatic, spectra. Also, the relationship between wavelength and visibility in the night driving environment is uncertain. It probably is not well described by standard photopic photometry. Reductions in discomfort glare are truly beneficial only if they can be accomplished without a compensatory reduction in visibility. If the visibility provided by light sources is affected by wavelength in the same way as glare, then wavelength selection to reduce glare may not be able to provide a net improvement.
Effect of Wavelength on Discomfort Glare from Monochromatic Sources
1989
31 pages
Report
No indication
English
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