• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.131-140
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• 2012

Lane markings such as edgelines, centerlines, and lines that delineate lanes generally provide drivers with the various information for safe driving. Drivers can easily recognize the lane markings through the color differences between the markings and road surfaces during the daytime. However, it is a bit difficult for drivers to perceive them during the nighttime due to the lack of artificial lights. Although the glass beads with the 1.5-refractive index have been used to improve the visibility of the lane markings during the nighttime, it is still difficult for drivers to recognize the lane markings properly, especially during the rainy nighttime, which may often lead to traffic accidents. To improve the retroreflectivity and visibility of the lane markings during the rainy nighttime, the high refractive beads with the 2.4-refractive index are essentially required, but they do not work appropriately during the dry nighttime. Thus, the mixed materials with the 1.5, 1.9, and 2.4-refractive beads should be considered for the satisfactory implementation of the lane markings. This study reveals the best mixing rates of the beads by conducting benefit-cost analysis under various weather conditions in Korea. The analysis results show that the lane markings with the 100% of the 2.4-refractive beads provide the highest visibility of lane markings regardless of the roadway conditions, but the benefit-cost (B/C) ratio of the bead mixture is merely 0.46. The best mixing rate of the beads, from the highest B/C ratio viewpoint, was identified as the mixture with a 80% of 1.5-refractive beads and a 20% of 2.4-refractive beads. Some limitations and future research agenda have also been discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Construction Safety
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2018

Construction accidents in Korea are continuously increasing. Safety signs with high visibility color can diminish such accidents in dangerous places. In order for safety color to be more effective as a global communication means in construction sites, it needs to be checked out whether safety color standard reflect the characteristics of construction industry such as worker or work environment. This paper compared safety color standards among Korea, the US, the UK, and Australia. First, blue color was included in all, which should be corrected considering aged workers increasing in construction industry. Because with age, the ability to distinguish between blue, purple, and gray colors decreases. Second, Korea, which has only single code designated to safety colors, should find alternatives like tolerance to be applicable to a variety of light environments on construction sites, as the contrast which affect the visibility may decrease in dark conditions.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.138-147
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• 2016

As services for citizens' security and protection offered at the national and social levels become more widely recognized across society, the more frequent use of ambulances by patients with both minor and major injuries is being observed. However, the number of safety accidents during transport by ambulances, which are responsible for the prompt transport of patients, has been rising in tandem with the increase in their use. This is due not only to their inconspicuousness both on the road and in other environments where these vehicles are exposed, but also to the high chance of secondary accidents, putting the lives of both patients and emergency responders at risk. It is important to study and develop designs that guarantee protection against safety accidents, noting that ambulances are completely exposed and unprotected on the road on cloudy days and at night-time. In addition, by identifying colors and design motives that enhance the conspicuity of ambulances from a distance and increase their security, emergency responders and patients can be safely protected, the identity of the ambulances can be reinforced and modernized, and the sense oppression which can be visually imposed on patients in a psychologically unstable condition can be eased. Against this backdrop, this study presents the process involved in deriving the exteriors of ambulances in Korea, including their colors and patterns, by examining the established global best practices and identifying the need for more studies into colors, even unconventional ones, that improve their safety.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.132-142
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• 2014

In this paper, we propose a traffic lights detection method using visual attention and spot-lights detection. To detect traffic lights in city streets at day and night time, the proposed method is used the structural form of a traffic lights such as colors, intensity, shape, textures. In general, traffic lights are installed at a position to increase the visibility of the drivers. The proposed method detects the candidate traffic lights regions using the top-down visual saliency model and spot-lights detect models. The visual saliency and spot-lights regions are positions of its difference from the neighboring locations in multiple features and multiple scales. For detecting traffic lights, by not using a color thresholding method, the proposed method can be applied to urban environments of variety changes in illumination and night times.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.1524-1532
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• 2015

This study analyzed traffic accident characteristics in Chungcheong Region through the factor analysis, cluster analysis and questionnaire survey using traffic accident analysis data for Chungcheong Region in order to improve Korea's traffic safety level. Based on the analysis results, this study suggests traffic safety technologies suitable for the situation of Chungcheong Region. According to the results of the questionnaire survey carried out for transporters in Chungcheong Region, 'the passage of pedestrians and aged people' and 'a problem of lacking visibility' were the biggest threatening factors of major traffic accidents in Chungcheong Region. The facilities required the most were 'lighting equipment in driving at night', and the expected effect by the equipment installation was high. As a result of the factor analysis and cluster analysis using the traffic accident analysis data, traffic accident risk by city type in Chungcheong Region was higher in rural areas, compared to urban areas. Especially, this study confirmed the risks of pedestrian and agricultural machine traffic accidents were high. Therefore, this study suggests three technologies to improve traffic safety level in Chungcheong Region, based on the analysis results.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.105-116
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to progress the limitations and disadvantages of existing safety clothing by applying high technology to current safety clothing that is produced and distributed only with fluorescent fabrics and retroreflective materials. Therefore, the industrial suspender-type safety belt and engineering technology are introduced, designed, and fabricated to help save a life in an emergency. First, the suspender-type safety belt to be developed is designed to emit light by LED attached to the film, and the body of the belt-wearer is recognized from a distance through retroreflection from the flashing LED. It aims to support people's safety by preventing accidents during roadside work, rescue activities, and sports activities at night. Second, with the development of advanced devices when the user is in an unconscious state due to distress or falls into an unconscious state due to distress or accident, the tilt sensor of the control unit attached to the belt automatically detects the angle of the human body and generates light and sound. It is intended to further enhance the utilization by mounting a sensing and signaling device that generates a distress signal and shaping it in the form of a belt attached to a vest that can be easily detached from the outside of the garment. When the wearer falls due to an accident, the tilt sensor of this belt detects the angle change and then the controller generates a high-frequency sound and repeated LED blinking signals at the same time. In the case of conventional safety vests, it is almost impossible to detect that the person is wearing a vest when there is no ambient light, but in case of the safety belts in this study, the sound and light signals of the safety belt enable us to find the wearer within 100 meters even when there is no ambient light.