Vision enhancement system for driving in night-time conditions

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Vision enhancement system for driving in night-time conditions

Barham, P. / Andreone, L. / Eschler, J.

The results of simulator evaluations reported in this paper highlight the potential that a driver vision support system, such as the one being developed by the DARWIN Project, might have for improving road safety when visibility is reduced; this might be achieved, not only by enabling drivers to see objects beyond the range of vision of the naked eye in such conditions, but also by encouraging drivers to leave a longer gap to the vehicle in front of them. This behavioural change, which was not induced in any way by the instructions given to test volunteers, was revealed in the behaviour of no fewer than 22 of the 24 subjects. The advantage of this extra headway giving drivers more time to react to an emergency situation was highlighted by subjects response to a simulation of such an occurrence, since, when the vehicle in front stopped suddenly, there was a substantial reduction in the number of collisions and near misses when the DARWIN system was in use. A further encouraging aspect of the results of the evaluation is the fact that an analysis of volunteers lane-keeping performance and lateral deviation statistics showed no indication that using the DARWIN system might compromise their ability to maintain a straight course. In fact, the results of this part of the analysis showed that using the system actually significantly improved subjects lane-keeping performance. Furthermore, the level of user acceptance appears to have been high, with subjects finding the DARWIN system useful, easy to use, and not distracting.