الملخص
Abstract
This study recruited a sample of 20 car drivers from both genders categorized into 3 groups of driving experiences and surveyed their visual perception concerning 3 streetlighting variables in four streets in the emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Namely, the research studied the level of streetlight poles illuminance, the color of streetlights, and the distance between streetlight poles, to investigate the impact of these three lighting features on the visual perception of the drivers as the gap in literature
confirms the need for such study. The research shows that the level of illuminance and the color of streetlights have impacted the visual perception of drivers, whereas further exploration of the effect of the distance between streetlights on drivers’ visual perception is needed, as the results could not conclusively indicate the impact of this specific variable on drivers’ visual perception. Specifically, the researcher concluded that the level of illuminance impacts drivers’ visual perception after reporting that it is 52% higher in the street that has better streetlight illuminance levels, keeping all other variables constant.
The level of illuminance was defined through varied tools such as; a light meter device and a questionnaire. Drivers’ visual perception in the LED -lit street-which has a different illuminance- is 36% higher than that in the HPS-lit street, demonstrating the impact of
streetlight colors on drivers’ visual perception. However, the visual perception of the participants in the street that has a longer distance between streetlights is lower than that in a street with a shorter distance, implying that this variable has not enhanced drivers’ visual perception, hence, recommending further future investigation of the effect of this particular variable.
