ANALYSIS ON THE INFLUENCE OF ACCUMULATION EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE COLOR ON TRAFFIC SAFETY IN THE FOGGY SECTIONS OF EXPRESSWAYS

Li, Xiaolei; Tang, Boming · 2017 · Crossref

DOI: 10.14311/cej.2017.03.0020

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Summary

This study addresses the lack of quantitative analysis regarding how the cumulative effect of landscape colors influences traffic safety in foggy expressway sections. While previous research has focused on visibility detection and hardware-based guidance systems, this paper investigates the visual psychological impact of road landscape colors and stroboflash fog lamps on drivers. The authors aim to determine if specific color designs can reduce visual fatigue and tension caused by low visibility and dull landscapes, thereby improving safety in heavy-fog environments. The researchers developed an interactive cumulative model linking landscape color, driving time, and driver mental tension. To validate this model, they conducted simulation experiments using UC-win/Road software to replicate foggy conditions with visibility between 200 and 500 meters. Six healthy drivers with varying experience levels participated in the study. A Tobii eye tracker recorded real-time changes in pupil area, serving as a metric for mental tension, while drivers viewed simulated road scenes with different fog lamp colors (including red, yellow, green, and combinations) and spacing intervals. The experiments controlled for physiological factors and tested driving speeds ranging from 40 to 80 km/h. The results demonstrated that landscape colors significantly affect driver visual psychology, with red and yellow having the strongest influence. Specifically, yellow caused the largest increase in pupil area, followed by red, indicating higher levels of alertness or tension compared to other colors like green or white. Driver sensitivity to color was highest at lower speeds (40 km/h) and decreased as speed increased. However, pupil area expansion rates increased with speed until stabilizing above 70 km/h, suggesting that color influence becomes less distinct at higher velocities. The study also found that drivers maintained safer, more appropriate speeds (60–100 km/h) when fog lamps were active, compared to unsafe speeds (80–200 km/h) when they were off. The fitted cumulative effect model showed a high goodness of fit (R² values between 0.97 and 0.99), confirming that landscape colors and driving speed jointly influence driver stress levels. The findings imply that designing landscape colors in foggy expressway sections is crucial for traffic safety. The authors conclude that installing red and yellow fog lights on both sides of the road effectively alleviates driver psychological tension and improves safety in heavy fog. These colors provide superior visual guidance compared to other hues, helping drivers maintain appropriate speeds and reducing the risk of accidents caused by visual fatigue. This research provides a theoretical and empirical basis for integrating color psychology into road landscape design, offering a cost-effective method to enhance safety in low-visibility conditions without relying solely on complex monitoring systems.

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Topics

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• roadway lighting effects
• emergency work zone conspicuity
• weather rain fog snow
• vehicle conspicuity
• speed distance perception