• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.153-162
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• 2017

PURPOSES : This study was conducted to analyze the effects arising from extending the duration of nighttime road construction on improving road quality and durability. METHODS : Most previous studies estimating the social cost of various construction conditions did not consider road pavement cooling time as a factor in improving road pavement quality. This study investigated the feasibility of achieving higher road quality and durability by extending the duration of nighttime road construction time extension. For this investigation, the effects of such an extension on traffic conditions were analyzed based on micro-simulation studies and scenario-based cost-benefit analyses, using factors including traffic volume, delay, construction cost, and road pavement cooling time. RESULTS : The results of the traffic simulation studies and cost-benefit analyses indicate that the current road construction method that emphasizes completing nighttime road construction by 6 a.m. reduces pavement life while causing relatively little traffic delay. If the night construction time is instead extended to 2 p.m., road pavement lifetime is increased, reducing road re-construction cost. These savings are greater than the cost of congestion arising from extending the duration of nighttime construction. CONCLUSIONS : The current nighttime construction durations need to be extended in order to efficiently manage roads and reduce road management costs.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.57-66
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• 2015

PURPOSES: Nighttime driving is very different from daytime driving because drivers must obtain nighttime sight-distances based on road lights and headlights. Unfortunately, nighttime driving conditions in Korea are far from ideal due to poor lighting and an insufficient number of road lights and inadequate operation and maintenance of delineators. This study is conducted to develop new standards for nighttime road visibility based on experiments of driver perception for nighttime visibility conditions. METHODS : In the study, perception level and satisfaction of nighttime visibility were investigated. A total of 60 drivers participated, including 34 older drivers and 31 young drivers. To evaluate driver perceptions of nighttime road visibility, fuzzy set theory was used because the conventional analysis methods for driver perception are limited in effectiveness for considering the characteristics of perception which are subjective and vague, and are generally expressed in terms of linguistic terminologies rather than numerical parameters. RESULTS : This study found that levels of nighttime visibility, as perceived by drivers, are remarkably similar to their satisfactions in different nighttime driving conditions with a log-function relationship. Older drivers evaluated unambiguously degree of nighttime visibility but evaluations by young drivers regarding it were unclear. CONCLUSIONS : A minimum value of brightness on roads was established as YUX 30, based on final analyzed results. In other words, road lights should be installed and operated to obtain more than YUX 30 brightness for the safety and comfort of nighttime driving.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.59-68
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• 2015

PURPOSES : This study suggests the application of glow line marking technology for reducing traffic accidents at nighttime. METHODS : In this study, using a statistical analysis, we analyzed the characteristics of traffic accidents occurring at nighttime. Next, the strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) factors were derived based on a current-status analysis of glow line marking technology and road environments. An SO strategy, ST strategy, WO strategy, and WT strategy were established in accordance with the four SWOT factors. RESULTS : This study suggests that the following strategies should be promoted to apply glow line marking technology to a road environment: 1) an activation strategy for the technological development of glow line markings for a new paradigm in reducing traffic accidents, 2) a benefit enhancement strategy applying glow line marking technology in places where nighttime traffic accidents frequently occur, 3) a strategy for the expansion of glow line marking by replacing streetlights, and 4) a strategy for enhancing road applications through the development of various line marking methods in consideration of both performance and costs. CONCLUSIONS : The application of glow line markings in a road environment can contribute to a reduction of traffic accidents at nighttime, and aid energy savings from the replacement of streetlights.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.127-134
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• 2016

PURPOSES : Low visibility caused by dark surroundings at nighttime affects the likelihood of accidents, and various efforts, such as installing road safety facilities, have been made to reduce accidents at night. Despite these efforts, the nighttime severity index (SI) in Korea was higher than the daytime SI during 2011-2014. This study determined the factors affecting daytime and nighttime accident severity through a discriminant analysis. METHODS : Discriminant analysis. RESULTS : First, drowsiness, lack of attention, and lighting facilities affected both daytime and nighttime accident severity. Accidents were found to be caused by a low ability to recognize the driving conditions and a low obstacle avoidance capability. Second, road conditions and speeding affected only the daytime accident severity. Third, failure to maintain a safe distance significantly affected daytime accident severity and nonsignificantly affected nighttime accident severity. The majority of such accidents were caused by rear-end collisions of vehicles driving in the same direction; given the low relative speed difference in such cases, the shock imparted by the accidents was minimal. CONCLUSIONS : Accidents caused by a failure to maintain a safe distance has lower severity than do accidents caused by other factors.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2000.11d
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• pp.69-72
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• 2000

This study proposes a new calculation method for generating real nighttime lamp-lit images. In order to improve the color appearance in the prediction of a nighttime lamp-lighted scene, the lamp-lit image is synthesized based on spectral distribution using the estimated local spectral distribution of the headlamps and the surface reflectance of every object. The principal component analysis method is introduced to estimate the surface color of an object, and the local spectral distribution of the headlamps is calculated based on the illuminance data and spectral distribution of the illuminating headlamps. HID and halogen lamps are utilized to create beam patterns and captured road scenes are used as background images to simulate actual headlamp-lit images on a monitor. As a result, the reproduced images presented a color appearance that was very close to a real nighttime road image illuminated by single and multiple headlamps.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.107-115
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• 2015

PURPOSES: This study analyzes the characteristics of traffic flow on freeway sections under daytime and nighttime conditions to improve traffic safety, and suggests a method to estimate an accurate freeway capacity value that reflects these characteristics. METHODS : The trends and differences in capacity were investigated using comprehensive field data collected under both daytime and nighttime conditions on freeway sections with designated speeds of 80, 100, and 120 kph. RESULTS : The capacity values under nighttime driving conditions were reduced by 3.3%, 6.9%, and 8.8% at 80, 100, and 120 kph, respectively. Several nighttime adjustment factors were deduced for each designated speed category from the analysis results. CONCLUSIONS : It is expected that more accurate capacity values can be estimated for freeway sections under nighttime conditions by applying the resulting adjustment factors. In addition, traffic safety will be improved through the increased efficiency of traffic management on these freeway sections.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.34-40
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• 2006

The daytime(7 a.m to 10 p.m.) and the nighttime(10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) used to calculate existing $L_{dn}$ is different from the domestic daytime(6 a.m to 10 p.m.) and nighttime(10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) periods. The difference of a time periods makes too difficult for converting measured $L_{eq}$ during daytime($L_d$) and nighttime($L_n$) periods to $L_{dn}$. Thus, it is difficult to directly compare with $L_{dn}$ standard of a foreign country. The pupose of paper is to propose a proper experimental equations that make up for the problems. The data of this paper used road traffic noise data of Auto-Network System(ANS) that generates $L_{eq}$ TNI, $L_{NP}$ for 1 hour. A method of this paper is as follows.(1) The data of ANS converted 24 hour $L_{eq}$ which measured every 1 hour to existing $L_{dn}$ and to $L_{dn}$ of an experimental equations.(2) The existing Lan is compared to results of $L_{dn}$ from experimental equations. The paper proposes a three experimental equations. This paper select an approximate equation that was most similar, to existing $L_{dn}$ out of these equations. When $L_{eq}$ data of different daytime and nighttime periods are converted to $L_{dn}$, an experimental equation of this paper can be used and applied to $L_{dn}$'s calculation.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.630-639
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• 2001

This study proposes a new calculation method for generating real nighttime lamp-lit images. In order to improve the color appearance in the prediction of a nighttime lamp-lighted scene, the lamp-lit image is synthesized based on spectral distribution using the estimated local spectral distribution of the headlamps and the surface reflectance of every object. The Principal component analysis method is introduced to estimate the surface color of an object, and the local spectral distribution of the headlamps is calculated based on the illuminance data and spectral distribution of the illuminating headlamps. HID and halogen lamps are utilized to create beam patterns and captured road scenes are used as background images to simulate actual headlamp-lit images on a monitor. As a result, the reproduced images presented a color appearance that was very close to a real nighttime road image illuminated by single and multiple headlamps compared to the conventional graphic-based algorithm.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.165-173
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• 2017

PURPOSES : The current practice in car headlight visibility performance evaluation is based on the luminous intensity and illuminance of headlight. Such practice can be inappropriate from a visibility point of view where visibility indicates abilities to perceive an object ahead on the road. This study aimed at evaluating the appropriateness of current headlight evaluation method. METHODS : This study measured the luminance of object and road surface at unlit roadways. The variables were measured by vehicle type and by headlight lamp type. Based on the measurements, the distance where drivers can perceive an object ahead was calculated and then compared against such distance obtained by conventional visibility performance evaluation. RESULTS : The evaluation method based on illuminance of headlight is not appropriate when viewed from the visibility concept that is based on object-perceivable distance. Further, the results indicated a shorter object-perceiving distance even when road surface luminance is higher, thereby suggesting that illuminance of headlight and luminance of road surface are not the representative indices of nighttime visibility. CONCLUSIONS : Considering that this study utilized limited vehicle types and that road surface (background) luminance can vary depending on the characteristics of the given road surface, it would likely go too far to argue that this study's visibility performance evaluation results can get generalized to other conditions. Regardless, there is little doubt that the current performance evaluation criterion which is based on illuminance, is unreasonable. There should be future endeavors on the current subject which will need to explore study conditions further, under which more experiments should be conducted and effective methodologies developed for evaluating automotive headlight visibility performance. Needs are recognized particularly in the development of headlight visibility performance evaluation methodology which will take into account road surface (background) luminance and luminance contrast from various perspectives as the former indicates the driver's perception of the front road alignment and the latter being indicative of object perception performance.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.283-292
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• 2004

Valid evaluation of community reaction to road-traffic noise exposure is important for the policy making and quality of life. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between community reaction and nighttime road-traffic noise. The study measured nighttime roadside noise caused by high traffic which is greater than LAeq(22:00-07:00) 65dB(A) and lower than 65dB(A) at Chonju city, from March to April, 2003. Three hundred sixty seven subjects, aged from 20 to 65, were selected from those who are residing close to the major roads. They were asked to answer the questions regarding noise source, stress(PWI-SF), annoyance, disturbance of specific activity, disturbance of sleep, somatic symptom, and four suggested confounding factors. The relationship between annoyance, somatic symptom and noise exposure was not significant. Adjusted odds ratio(95% C.I.) for disturbance of communication　 and disturbance of attention and rest　 were 1.59(1.03-2.71), 1.64(1.06-2.81), respectively. On the other hand sleep disturbance　 was indicated as 1.34(0.77-2.32). The results suggested that federal policy-making about road-traffic noise should consider community reaction evaluated by various perspective including annoyance, disturbance of specific activity, disturbance of sleep, and confounding factors.