Roadway lighting is a large public expense. Newspapers are full of stories about cities and local regions considering whether to switch off some or even all roadway lights in certain areas. Reducing roadway lighting would also reduce light pollution, which is increasingly important to the public and to the environmental community.
Almost without exception, absent from news reports is any discussion about automotive lighting. In principle, more widespread use of high-beam vehicle headlamps could allow drivers to see at night without a need for as much roadway lighting. Glare from oncoming high beams would be a concern, of course, but not necessarily an unsolvable one, given recent developments in adaptive high-beam systems.
There is always room for improvement and we all work to bring the lighting- and visibility-related share of crashes to ever smaller proportions, while at the same time increasing lighting efficiency. To do this the interactions between roadway and vehicle lighting systems must be understood. The safety impacts of driver visibility must be understood. The promise of evolving lighting technologies must be understood. And this understanding needs to be communicated to the public.
Imagine this hypothetical scenario: A town’s public works department decides to switch off roadway lighting along several streets. In the local newspaper, the town engineer states: “Car headlights are sufficient to make pedestrians visible at night. We don’t need to spend as much to light up our streets.” The neighborhood has organised a stargazing party to celebrate their improved access to the nighttime sky.
Would readers of DrivingVisionNews like to see this scenario take place? If so, how could it happen, and when?
John D. Bullough
Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute