A Practical Tool for Ambient Illumination Comparisons at Dusk/Dawn

Abstract

Nighttime visibility is an important consideration in collision reconstruction and personal injury investigation. Decreased contrast in low ambient lighting conditions can greatly affect human perception and response. Because ambient lighting levels change rapidly at dawn and dusk, forensic investigators must have an accurate knowledge of the time of day and the cloud conditions at the time of the incident before initiating a nighttime visibility assessment. Previously, human factors experts attempting re-enactments at dawn or dusk have had to wait for sky conditions that match those at the time of the incident, making the investigation of those cases extremely difficult, if not unfeasible. In this study, an ambient illumination equivalency tool has been developed based on a database of time-lapse light meter readings collected by the authors. This new tool can be used to facilitate nighttime visibility assessments on any day by providing a time adjustment factor to account for the changes in ambient illuminance due to differences in the cloud conditions between the day of the incident and the day of the re-enactment.