Abstract
Four field studies were conducted in natural rainfall to develop a model for predicting distances at which drivers are able to see other vehicles in the roadway at various time periods following stoppage of a windshield-wiper stroke. The seeing distance prediction was developed as a function of rain intensity, rain accumulation time, and ambient daylight illumination. Two situations were studied; in the first, drivers seated in a stationary vehicle detected moving vehicles, and in the second, moving drivers detected a stationary vehicle. Useful seeing distance models were developed from the field studies. Seeing distances predicted from the models developed from these earlier studies were compared with seeing distances obtained in a subsequent validation field test. Results indicated that average error in the prediction of seeing distances ranges from 9% to 23%.
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