vehicle conspicuity

Making motor vehicles (cars, trucks, trailers) visible to other drivers: rear and side retroreflective conspicuity tape, daytime running lights, marker and brake lighting, vehicle color and contrast against the road scene. The object being made visible is a vehicle, NOT a pedestrian or cyclist (vru_conspicuity) and NOT a responder or work zone (emergency_work_zone_conspicuity).

Relevant standards

  • ADR 13/00 — Australian Design Rule 13/00 – Installation of Lighting and Light Signalling Devices on other than L-Group Vehicles
  • ADR 19/02 — Australian Design Rule 19/02 – Installation of Lighting and Light Signalling Devices on L-Group Vehicles
  • ADR 76/00 — Australian Design Rule 76/00 – Daytime Running Lamps
  • CIE 074-1988 — Road signs
  • CMVSS 108 — Lighting Systems and Reflective Devices
  • IIHS Vehicle-to-Vehicle Front Crash Prevention 2.0 Test Protocol — Vehicle-to-Vehicle Front Crash Prevention 2.0 Test Protocol (Version II)
  • ISO 20901:2020 — Intelligent transport systems — Emergency electronic brake light systems (EEBL) — Performance requirements and test procedures
  • SAE J3134 — Automated Driving System (ADS) Marker Lamp
  • UN ECE R104 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of retro-reflective markings for vehicles of categories M, N and O
  • UN ECE R148 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of light-signalling devices (lamps) for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R150 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of retro-reflective devices and markings for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R23 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of reversing lamps and manoeuvring lamps for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R38 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of rear fog lamps for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R48 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to the installation of lighting and light-signalling devices
  • UN ECE R6 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of direction indicators for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R65 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of special warning lamps for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R69 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of rear marking plates for slow-moving vehicles (by construction) and their trailers
  • UN ECE R7 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of front and rear position lamps, stop-lamps and end-outline marker lamps for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
  • UN ECE R70 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of rear marking plates for heavy and long vehicles
  • UN ECE R87 — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of daytime running lamps for power-driven vehicles

154 paper(s) · ranked by relevance to this topic

  1. Freight car reflectorization · 1999 · Carroll, A. A. et al. · archived
  2. Driver Vision: Bibliography · 1963 · NHTSA · archived
  3. Wet Night Visibility of Pavement Markings · 2007 · Gibbons, Ronald B. et al. · archived
  4. Evaluation of retroreflective material on stop sign posts in Virginia. · 2009 · Cottrell, Benjamin H et al. · archived
  5. Work vehicle warning lights : color options and effectiveness. · 2015 · Howell, Brian et al. · archived
  6. Minimum Retroreflectivity Requirements for Traffic Signs · 1993 · Paniati, Jeffery F. et al. · archived
  7. Nighttime Highway Construction Illumination [URTC Report] · 2014 · Bullough, John D. et al. · archived
  8. Field Evaluation of Locomotive Conspicuity Lights · 1975 · Devoe, Donald B. et al. · archived
  9. Public Roads: A Journal of Highway Research and Development, Vol. 51 No. 2 · 1987 · Andrews, William H. Jr. et al. · archived
  10. Some factors affecting motorcyclists' conspicuity · 1996 · Hole, G et al. · indexed
  11. Overhead Guide Sign Visibility Factors, Volume I: Final Report · 1989 · Stein, A. C. et al. · archived
  12. Evaluation of Green Lights on TMAS · 2018 · Brown, Henry et al. · archived
  13. Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Requirements for Older Drivers · 1996 · Graham, Johnny et al. · indexed
  14. A Safety Evaluation of UVA Vehicle Headlights · 1998 · Nitzburg, Marsha et al. · archived
  15. Visibility of various road markings for machine vision · 2021 · Burghardt, Tomasz E. et al. · indexed
  16. Refinement of Drivers' Visibility Needs during Wet Night Conditions · 2012 · Gibbons, Ronald B. et al. · indexed
  17. Overhead guide sign retroreflectivity and illumination. · 2015 · Obeidat, Mohammed et al. · archived
  18. Investigation of Longitudinal Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity and Safety · 2013 · Carlson, Paul J. et al. · indexed
  19. Retroreflective Material Specifications and On-Road Sign Performance · 2002 · Bible, R C et al. · indexed
  20. Safety Aspects of Using Vehicle Hazard Warning Lights: Volume 2. Final Report · 1980 · Knoblauch, Richard L. et al. · archived
  21. Sign Luminance Requirements for Various Background Complexities · 1985 · Mace, D. J. et al. · archived
  22. Pavement markings role in enhancing road safety strategies · 2009 · Thurston, Paul W. · indexed
  23. The Impact of Directionality on Paint Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity · 2008 · Rasdorf, William et al. · indexed
  24. ROADWAY DELINEATION PRACTICES HANDBOOK · 1994 · Migletz, J et al. · indexed
  25. Automated Vehicle and Pavement Marking Evaluation in Connecticut · 2024 · Shaon, Mohammad Razuar et al. · archived
  26. Human Factors Study on the Use of Colors for Express Lane Delineators · 2019 · Abou-Senna, Hatem et al. · archived
  27. Horizontal road markings for human and machine vision · 2020 · Burghardt, Tomasz E. et al. · indexed
  28. Traffic control device evaluation program : FY 2016. · 2017 · Brimley, Bradford K. et al. · archived
  29. Effects of Reduced Transmittance Film on Automobile Rear Window Visibility · 1993 · Freedman, Mark S. et al. · indexed
  30. UPDATED MINIMUM RETROREFLECTIVITY LEVELS FOR TRAFFIC SIGNS · 2003 · Carlson, Paul J. et al. · indexed
  31. Public Roads: A Journal of Highway Research, Vol. 36. No. 12 · 1972 · Schwab, Richard N. et al. · archived
  32. Vehicle guidance by delineation systems at night · 1985 · Blaauw, Gerard J. · indexed
  33. Long lighting system for enhanced conspicuity of motorcycles · 2007 · Tsutsumi, Yojiro et al. · indexed
  34. Methodology for Measuring Traffic Signs Retroreflection · 2014 · Shcukanec, Andjelko et al. · indexed
  35. Changeable Message Sign Visibility · 1996 · Garvey, Philip M. et al. · archived
  36. REFLECTOR POSTS--SIGNS OF DANGER? · 1993 · Kallberg, Veli-Pekka · indexed
  37. Pavement Markings and Delineation for Older Drives. Volume I: Final Report · 1996 · Pietrucha, Martin T. et al. · archived
  38. Orange Work Zone Pavement Marking Midwest Field Test · 2018 · Shaw, John W et al. · archived
  39. SIGN LEGIBILITY AND CONSPICUITY · 1988 · Mace, D J · indexed
  40. Report of the Committee on the Motor Vehicle · 1924 · NHTSA · archived
  41. Hardware Evaluation Of Heavy Truck Side And Rear Object Detection Systems · 1995 · Garrott, W. Riley et al. · archived
  42. Orange Contrasted Temporary Pavement Delineation in Construction Zones · 2025 · Linke, Barbara et al. · archived
  43. Traffic Signal Brightness: An Examination of Nighttime Dimming · 1985 · Freedman, Mark et al. · archived
  44. Sign Retroreflectivity Study · 2002 · Bischoff, Austin et al. · indexed
  45. Wet-reflective pavement marking demonstration project. · 2011 · Hawkins, Neal et al. · archived
  46. Improving Night Work Zone Traffic Control · 1999 · Cottrell, Benjamin H., Jr. · archived
  47. Road Marking Contrast Threshold Revisited · 2021 · Spieringhs, Rik Marco et al. · indexed
  48. Evaluation of Glare Reduction Techniques · 1975 · Raine, W. L. et al. · archived
  49. Rainvision: The Impact of Road Markings on Driver Behaviour – Wet Night Visibility · 2016 · Diamandouros, Konstandinos et al. · indexed
  50. Prioritizing improvements to truck driver vision. · 2006 · Reed, Matthew P. et al. · archived
  51. Use of Digital Imaging Methods to Assess Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity · 2011 · Donnell, Eric T. et al. · indexed
  52. Analysis of the Influence of Vehicle Color on Speed Perception and Estimation · 2025 · Ivanišević, Tijana et al. · archived
  53. Symbolic Sign for Oversized-Truck Route Signs · 1984 · Walker, Jonathan et al. · archived
  54. On-Road Study of Drivers’ Use of Rearview Video Systems (ORSDURVS) · 2008 · Mazzae, Elizabeth N. et al. · archived
  55. EVALUATION OF INTERSTATE PAVEMENT MARKING RETROREFLECTIVITY · 2003 · Sarasua, Wayne et al. · indexed
  56. Traffic Monitoring System for Vehicle Detection in Day and Night Conditions · 2023 · Ibtissam, Slimani et al. · archived
  57. TRAFFIC SAFETY IN CANADA: PRESENT AND FUTURE · 1994 · Noy, Y. Ian · indexed
  58. Linear Mixed-Effects Models for Paint Pavement-Marking Retroreflectivity Data · 2011 · Hummer, Joseph E. et al. · indexed
  59. Mature Drivers: Traffic Safety Tips · 1996 · NHTSA · archived
  60. Finding and Tracking Automobiles on Roads for Self-Driving Car Systems · 2023 · Farag, Wael et al. · indexed