International Distributions of Variables Affecting Desirable Vehicle Lighting

This study was designed to provide information concerning (a) the desirability of international harmonization of vehicle standards, and (b) the international transferability of field-study findings on vehicle lighting. Toward these goals, data were collected on a variety of factors related to drivers, traffic participants, roadways, and environment in eight major car-producing countries: U.S.A., Japan, West Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, and United Kingdom. The international variability of these factors was contrasted with the corresponding variability among the U.S. states. The findings suggest that, for the examined factors, the within-U.S. variability is generally at least as large as the variability for the eight studied countries. Consequently, it is concluded that the obtained evidence supports (a) the establishment of common lighting specifications, and (b) the international transferability of findings from field studies on vehicle lighting.