INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL LIGHTING POLLUTION BY THE CHEMICAL DEICING MATERIALS ON TRAFFIC SAFETY OF THE MOTOR VEHICLES

Abstract

Introduction. Road transport remains the most dangerous form of transportation in our time. On the roads of our country about 25 thousand people are killed per year, are injured and maimed more than 250 000 people per year. In fact, every third traffic accident happens in the night time. Therefore, the question of the motor vehicles traffic’s safety increasing on winter roads continues to be relevant nowadays. The duration of the winter slipperiness’ period in Russia is 5-6 months. One way to prevent the winter slipperiness is the deicing materials’ application. While motor vehicles’ driving on the road, which is covered with anti-icing materials, the pollution of the vehicles’ external lights by anti-icing agents is happen, and this process significantly reduces the illumination of the road and the visibility of the traffic conditions in the darkness time and it also negatively affects the road safety situation. Materials and methods. The analysis of the literary sources, the scientific works and the publications about the problem of the external lighting of the car pollution by the deicing materials, which influences on the driver’s visibility of the traffic conditions in the dark time is made in the article. In addition, the analysis of normative documents, which regulate the requirements to the condition of the operated motor vehicles in terms of the road safety is presented in this research. Results. The modern theory of the vehicle’s operational properties does not contain the results about the illumination influence of the road headlights on the traffic safety in terms of their pollution with chemical deicing materials in dark time. Therefore, the research is aimed to identify the patterns how the lighting devices’ pollution of the vehicle by anti-icing agents influences on road illumination and visibility. Discussion and conclusion. The question about the motor vehicles’ safety and about their operating conditions on the winter roads, which cover with the chemical anti-icing agents is urgent nowadays, because of the information lack about the regularities of the reagents’ influence on the traffic safety in dark time. For this reason, the systematic scientific research should be conducted to obtain new information of such influence.