Public Perception of Pavement-Marking Brightness

Author(s):  
Francis E. Loetterle ◽  
Richard A. Beck ◽  
Jim Carlson

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) conducted research to establish a threshold value of retroreflectivity for use in its pavement-marking management program. Members of the general public were invited to drive MnDOT automobiles on a driving course of state and county roads. An interviewer rode along with each study participant asking questions about the brightness (or luminance) of pavement markings within predetermined sections of roadway. The interview was conducted after dark with the car’s headlights at low beam. For each section of roadway, study participants were asked to grade the visibility of the pavement markings; the edge line and the centerline were evaluated individually. The average scores received from all study participants for a specific section were compared with retroreflectivity data taken by MnDOT’s mobile retroreflectometer. Analysis of the data revealed an apparent correlation between the readings taken by the retroreflectometer and the rating scores provided by the study participants. This analysis also suggested that the threshold value of acceptable retroreflectivity versus unacceptable retroreflectivity was between 80 and 120 mcd/m2/lx when using the Laserlux® retroreflectometer. In its continuing effort to improve “customer service,” MnDOT has committed to providing durable pavement markings that are visible year-round and is purchasing equipment and training personnel to implement this program. As a result of the market research project, MnDOT will use 120 mcd/m2/lx as the threshold between acceptable retroreflectivity and unacceptable retroreflectivity when developing the new pavement-marking management program. The establishment of a threshold retroreflectivity value also will allow cost-benefit and life-cycle analyses of different pavement-marking materials and help MnDOT to grade itself on how well it is meeting customer expectations.

2003 ◽  
Vol 1824 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neville A. Parker ◽  
Massawe S. J. Meja

As an implementation strategy of the federal retroreflectivity standards requirement for pavement markings, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) evaluated its 3-year fixed-schedule restriping strategy, to determine if it is consistent with the actual service life of the pavement markings. The methodology and results of the study are presented. Two types of data were collected: measured retroreflectivity by using LaserLux and subjective ratings from a survey conducted with the participation of the New Jersey driving public along a 32-mi circuit. Multiple regression techniques were used to correlate the average scores reported by the study participants for each specific roadway section with the corresponding measured retroreflectivity. The results suggested that the threshold value of an acceptable versus unacceptable level of retroreflectivity appeared to be between 80 and 130 mcd/m2/lux for New Jersey drivers younger than 55 and between 120 and 165 mcd/m2/lux for drivers older than 55. These results are consistent with conclusions reached by other investigators in similar research, where results generally ranged between 70 and 170 mcd/m2/lux. Interim visibility indices were developed for each age group per pavement-marking type. New Jersey DOT used the indices to determine and prioritize needs and to quantify needed related resources, on the basis of the threshold between acceptable retroreflectivity and unacceptable retroreflectivity, when it developed its pavement-marking management system. This approach also allows for cost-benefit and life-cycle analysis for different pavementmarking materials.


Author(s):  
Timothy P. Barrette ◽  
Adam M. Pike

Raised retroreflective pavement markers (RRPMs) are commonly used to provide nighttime delineation of roadways. Although RRPMs are visible during dry conditions, they provide their greatest benefit during wet-night conditions, when typical pavement markings become flooded and lose their retroreflectivite properties. Naturally, the retroreflectivity of RRPMs degrades over time as a result of traffic, ultraviolet light, precipitation, and roadway maintenance activities. Subsequently, it is necessary to examine the relationship between driver performance and the condition of the RRPMs. To assess visibility relative to RRPM condition, study participants rode in the passenger seat of a vehicle operated by a member of the research team, traveling at approximately 15 mph, for two laps around a closed course. Throughout each lap of the course, nine treatments consisting of RRPMs or preformed pavement marking tape of various retroreflectivity levels diverged from a center line to either the right or left. Participants indicated when they could tell which direction the treatment diverged, which was recorded using a GPS unit. A generalized linear model was estimated on a dataset constructed by pairing the observed distances from various treatments with demographic information about each participant. The analysis indicates the distance at which a particular treatment would be visible, which can then be converted to preview time to assess treatment adequacy for a variety of speeds. The RRPM treatments generally provided adequate preview time for older drivers based on the extant literature; however, the preformed pavement marking tape was less adequate at higher speeds and under overhead lighting.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1737
Author(s):  
Ane Dalsnes Storsæter ◽  
Kelly Pitera ◽  
Edward McCormack

Pavement markings are used to convey positioning information to both humans and automated driving systems. As automated driving is increasingly being adopted to support safety, it is important to understand how successfully sensor systems can interpret these markings. In this effort, an in-vehicle lane departure warning system was compared to data collected simultaneously from an externally mounted mobile retroreflectometer. The test, performed over 200 km of driving on three different routes in variable lighting conditions and road classes found that, depending on conditions, the retroreflectometer could predict whether the car’s lane departure systems would detect markings in 92% to 98% of cases. The test demonstrated that automated driving systems can be used to monitor the state of pavement markings and can provide input on how to design and maintain road infrastructure to support automated driving features. Since data about the condition of lane marking from multiple lane departure warning systems (crowd-sourced data) can provide input into the pavement marking management systems operated by many road owners, these findings also indicate that these automated driving sensors have an important role in enhancing the maintenance of pavement markings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Alireza Sassani ◽  
Omar Smadi ◽  
Neal Hawkins

Pavement markings are essential elements of transportation infrastructure with critical impacts on safety and mobility. They provide road users with the necessary information to adjust driving behavior or make calculated decisions about commuting. The visibility of pavement markings for drivers can be the boundary between a safe trip and a disastrous accident. Consequently, transportation agencies at the local or national levels allocate sizeable budgets to upkeep the pavement markings under their jurisdiction. Infrastructure asset management systems (IAMS) are often biased toward high-capital-cost assets such as pavements and bridges, not providing structured asset management (AM) plans for low-cost assets such as pavement markings. However, recent advances in transportation asset management (TAM) have promoted an integrated approach involving the pavement marking management system (PMMS). A PMMS brings all data items and processes under a comprehensive AM plan and enables managing pavement markings more efficiently. Pavement marking operations depend on location, conditions, and AM policies, highly diversifying the pavement marking management practices among agencies and making it difficult to create a holistic image of the system. Most of the available resources for pavement marking management focus on practices instead of strategies. Therefore, there is a lack of comprehensive guidelines and model frameworks for developing PMMS. This study utilizes the existing body of knowledge to build a guideline for developing and implementing PMMS. First, by adapting the core AM concepts to pavement marking management, a model framework for PMMS is created, and the building blocks and elements of the framework are introduced. Then, the caveats and practical points in PMMS implementation are discussed based on the US transportation agencies’ experiences and the relevant literature. This guideline is aspired to facilitate PMMS development for the agencies and pave the way for future pavement marking management tools and databases.


1995 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 672-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Taitel ◽  
Harry Kotses ◽  
I.Leonard Bernstein ◽  
David I. Bernstein ◽  
Thomas L. Creer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pim van Oirschot ◽  
Marco Heerings ◽  
Karine Wendrich ◽  
Bram den Teuling ◽  
Marijn B Martens ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The decline of cognitive processing speed (CPS) is a common dysfunction in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is widely used to formally quantify CPS. We implemented a variant of the SDMT in MS sherpa, a smartphone app for persons with MS. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the MS sherpa smartphone variant of the SDMT (sSDMT). METHODS We performed a validation study with 25 persons with relapsing-remitting MS and 79 healthy control (HC) subjects. In the HC group, 21 subjects were matched to the persons with MS with regard to age, gender, and education and they followed the same assessment schedule as the persons with MS (the “HC matched” group) and 58 subjects had a less intense assessment schedule to determine reference values (the “HC normative” group). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were determined between the paper-and-pencil SDMT and its smartphone variant (sSDMT) on 2 occasions, 4 weeks apart. Other ICCs were determined for test-retest reliability, which were derived from 10 smartphone tests per study participant, with 3 days in between each test. Seven study participants with MS were interviewed regarding their experiences with the sSDMT. RESULTS The SDMT scores were on average 12.06% higher than the sSDMT scores, with a standard deviation of 10.68%. An ICC of 0.838 was found for the construct validity of the sSDMT in the combined analysis of persons with MS and HC subjects. Average ICCs for test-retest reliability of the sSDMT for persons with MS, the HC matched group, and the HC normative group were 0.874, 0.857, and 0.867, respectively. The practice effect was significant between the first and the second test of the persons with MS and the HC matched group and trivial for all other test-retests. The interviewed study participants expressed a positive attitude toward the sSDMT, but they also discussed the importance of adapting a smartphone cognition test in accordance with the needs of the individual persons with MS. CONCLUSIONS The high correlation between sSDMT and the conventional SDMT scores indicates a very good construct validity. Similarly, high correlations underpin a very good test-retest reliability of the sSDMT. We conclude that the sSDMT has the potential to be used as a tool to monitor CPS in persons with MS, both in clinical studies and in clinical practice.


Author(s):  
Dr Bakul Gupta

Background: Various studies have shown the association between dyslipidemia and cardio-vascular risk among patients of chronic renal disease but the association non-significant than patients with normal renal function. There was lack of evidence exists because patients with chronic renal disease were excluded from the major clinical studies where the association with that target dyslipidemia treatment was being evaluated Material & Methods: The present prospective study was conducted among the patients of Chronic Kidney Disease above 18 years of age and diagnosed on the basis of history, detailed clinical examination, and biochemical and sonological examination based upon National Kidney Foundation (NKF) criteria were enrolled into the study. Clearance from hospital ethics committee was taken before start of study. Written informed consent was taken from each study participant. Results:  In the present study out of total study participants of chronic kidney disease 46% were in the 3rd stage of CKD, 38% were in the 4th stage of CKD and 16% were in the 5th stage of CKD. Out of total study participants of chronic kidney disease, 82% were managed by conservative treatment and 18% were being managed by hemodialysis. Out of total study participants of chronic kidney disease, 38% had normal lipid profile while 62% patients had dyslipidemia. We found statistically significant (p value < 0.05) association between dyslipidemia and hemodialysis and association between dyslipidemia and stages of chronic kidney disease was statistically non- significant (p value > 0.05). Conclusion:  We concluded from the present study that dyslipidemia is significantly associated as an additional risk factor in patients of Chronic Kidney Disease. We found significant association of hemodialysis with abnormal lipid profile. Key words: Chronic kidney disease, dyslipidemia, hemodialysis.


Author(s):  
Bouzid Choubane ◽  
Joshua Sevearance ◽  
Charles Holzschuher ◽  
James Fletcher ◽  
Chieh (Ross) Wang

The visibility of pavement markings is an important aspect of a safe transportation system as the markings convey vital roadway warnings and guidance information to the traveling public. Therefore, it is beneficial to maintain acceptable visibility levels of markings on pavements under all weather and lighting conditions. To ensure the intended in-service visibility level is adequately maintained, the reflectivity must be monitored and quantified accordingly. Historically, visibility or retroreflectivity of in-service pavement markings has been measured with handheld devices and visual inspections. However, visual surveys are considered subjective and the handheld measurements are tedious and potentially hazardous. Consequently, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has focused on the use of a non-contact technology capable of assessing pavement markings continuously at highway speeds with improved safety and efficiency. The use of mobile technology for measuring reflectivity has allowed FDOT to develop and, subsequently, implement a Pavement Marking Management System (PMMS) to improve the safety and nighttime visibility of its roadways. Implementation of such a system provides an efficient and less subjective methodology to identify conditions that are detrimental to roadway safety, and strategize mitigating solutions including the selection of appropriate materials and application techniques. The system will ultimately result in an effective use of state funds while ensuring the safety of the traveling public. This paper presents a description of the Florida Pavement Markings Management System and its subsequent implementation including FDOT’s effort to ensure the quality, consistency, repeatability, and accessibility of statewide pavement marking retroreflectivity data.


2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (04) ◽  
pp. 340-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Rienhoff ◽  
T. G. Schulze ◽  
S. Y. Nussbeck ◽  
J. Schwanke

SummaryBackground: Longitudinal biomedical research projects study patients or participants over a course of time. No IT solution is known that can manage study participants, enhance quality of data, support re-contacting of participants, plan study visits, and keep track of informed consent procedures and recruitments that may be subject to change over time.. In business settings management of personal is one of the major aspects of customer relationship management systems (CRMS).Objectives: To evaluate whether CRMS are suitable IT solutions for study participant management in biomedical research.Methods: Three boards of experts in the field of biomedical research were consulted to get an insight into recent IT developments regarding study participant management systems (SPMS). Subsequently, a requirements analysis was performed with stake-holders of a major biomedical research project. The successive suitability evaluation was based on the comparison of the identified requirements with the features of six CRMS.Results: Independently of each other, the interviewed expert boards confirmed that there is no generic IT solution for the management of participants. Sixty-four requirements were identified and prioritized in a requirements analysis. The best CRMS was able to fulfill forty-two of these requirements. The non-fulfilled requirements demand an adaption of the CRMS, consuming time and resources, reducing the update compatibility, the system’s suitability, and the security of the CRMS.Conclusions: A specific solution for the SPMS is favored instead of a generic and commercially-oriented CRMS. Therefore, the development of a small and specific SPMS solution was commenced and is currently on the way to completion.


Author(s):  
Shailaja Daral ◽  
Anita Khokhar ◽  
Shishir Kumar Pradhan

Abstract The study examines the barriers to disclosure of child maltreatment among adolescent girls. Stratified random sampling was done among classes 7 to 12 of government girls’ schools of a semi-urban area of Delhi, and a total of 1060 adolescent girls participated. Almost 33% of victims of physical abuse, 50% of sexual abuse, 30% of emotional abuse, and 40% of neglect did not disclose their experiences to any support group. The most frequent confidante, in almost two-thirds of cases of all forms of abuse was a friend of the study participant. Among the study participants who did not disclose abuse, the most common reason for nondisclosure was a feeling of shame or embarrassment (40%–80% for physical abuse, 55%–80% for sexual abuse, and 55% for emotional abuse). Among the study participants who did not disclose neglect, 70% reported that they did not do so because they had no expectation of help from anyone.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document