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1. Nighttime Legibility of Highway SignsAlicia Bower, Patrick Hamiel, Elizabeth Overmoe, Beth Peters, Elijah Stines ABSTRACT The nighttime legibility of highway signs is a very important aspect of driver safety. Yet, very little research has been done in this area. In fact, there are no official laws or consensus guidelines regarding the luminance levels of road signs. This study attempts to find the level of luminance needed for optimal legibility during nighttime driving. Two types of signs were tested. All were 3M brand retroreflective material, one type at 15% reflectivity, another at 100% reflectivity (which changed the light distribution by moving the peak luminance closer to the sign). Our study set out to find the difference in legibility levels between each type of sign, the difference in legibility of the signs at a static and a dynamic viewing condition, and the interaction of sign type and viewing condition. Results of this study will provide important information for future planning of highway sign production. More specifically, our results will be used to establish minimum required luminance values as well as determine if drivers can benefit from changes in the spatial luminance distribution of light reflected from highway signs at night.