FREEWAY LIGHTING AND TRAFFIC SAFETY - A LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of freeway lighting. To achieve this, a case study on traffic accident characteristics was conducted that utilized a suburban freeway area west of Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany, between 1972 and 1981. The study revealed that (a) the effects of lighting on suburban freeway accident rates was positive -- there was a reduction in accidents, and (b) these positive results of continuous freeway lighting were lost in the case of partial lighting, especially after switching off lights at night between 10:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. for the purpose of saving energy.