Daytime running lights as a vehicle collision countermeasure: the Swedish evidence reconsidered
article
In Sweden the use of daytime running lights (DRL) was made mandatory on 1 October 1977 for all motor vehicles at once, during all seasons and for all areas. According to a study conducted by Andersson and Nilsson (1981) the introduction of DRL resulted in a reduction of 11% of multiple accidents during daytime. In many discussions on the effectiveness of DRL, these findings have been consid-ered as the strongest evidence that the use of DRL is an effective vehicle collision countermeasure. The present study reexamines this evidence and shows that the reported 11% effect of DRL in the Swedish study is spurious. The effect is mainly the results of the application of a model that shows selective effects of DRL through modelling of unexplained changes in the number of single accidents. It is concluded that the Swedish data fail to show a clear effect of DRL.
Topics
trafficaccidentsCollision avoidanceHeadlightsHighway accidentsMathematical modelsRisk assessmentDaytime running lightsVehicle collision countermeasureAccident preventionCarscircadian rhythmIlluminationInjuryStatisticstraffic accidentAccidents, TrafficAutomobilesCircadian RhythmCross-Sectional StudiesData Interpretation, StatisticalHumansIncidenceLightingModels, StatisticalProgram EvaluationSwedenWounds and Injuries
TNO Identifier
8323
Source
Accident Analysis and Prevention,
(5), pp. 633-642.
Pages
633-642
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