Is the Cost 331 Software Still Relevant for Characterising the Visibility of Road Markings?

This study aims to evaluate the relevance of the daytime visibility distances of the road marking predicted by the software developed by COST 331. To do this, an experiment was carried out on a test track with two road surfaces (asphalt and concrete) on which new and worn discontinuous marking lines were applied. The visibility distance obtained with the software from static 𝑄𝑑 and horizontal illuminance measurements was compared to visibility distances calculated with the Adrian’s model from luminance images acquired dynamically. The results show that the software systematically overestimates the visibility distance, in particular due to its failure to consider the variability of the perceived luminance as a function of the viewing distance. Moreover, the results question the fact that the standardized indicators of the visibility of road markings should really considered the contrast between the marking and the surrounding road surface.