Abstract
The effects of retroreflective luminance on the recognition of traffic signs at night is mediated through contrast with the immediate surround. Additionally, complex visual scenes are known to degrade visual performance with respect to signs well above visual threshold. A series of laboratory and field studies were conducted to develop a technique for measuring nighttime visual complexity and to assess the capability of increased sign luminance to offset the performance decrement resulting from added complexity. Positive results were obtained for a variety of signs. A limited field validation suggested that degraded luminance may be adequate when complexity is low, but the highest levels of luminance may not be adequate at high complexity locations.
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