light-emitting diode technology being applied to roadway lighting, the spectral power distribution of the light source is becoming much more important. In this experiment, the detection of pedestrians at five adaptation levels under three light sources, high pressure sodium and light emitting diodes of two color temperatures, was measured in realistic roadway scenarios. The results show that while the light source type was not significant, an increase in adaptation luminance also increased the detection distance. As the offset of the object to the roadway increased, some spectral effects became more significant; however, this effect was not consistent across all angles of eccentricity. The conclusions from this work indicate that mesopic factors may not be applicable on high-speed roads.

There has been concern that automation may impair a person’s ability to detect and appropriately respond to environmental hazards. This study sought to examine a driver’s ability to not only detect hazards, but also to implement appropriate responses following extended Eyes-Off-Road (EOR) intervals. Thirty-six drivers were exposed to a series of filmed roadway vignettes with discernible hazards embedded within a range of traffic situations. Driver’s visual gaze was directed “off-road” for 2, 7 or 20 seconds, and then re-oriented to the roadway. Drivers were tasked to respond appropriately as quickly as possible once their gaze returned to the forward road scene by steering and/or braking in response to the hazards. Results found no significant differences among the EOR intervals in terms of the driver’s ability to detect and appropriately respond to the hazard when it emerged after the driver’s eyes were directed forward.

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