What Conspicuity Is and Why It Is Important

Are you as conspicuous as you should be? Do civilian drivers see you and get out of your way? Conspicuity is the ability to seize the immediate attention of all persons within a certain visual range. It is important because if you are seen, drivers can respond appropriately, and you will be safe.

There are two types of conspicuity: search and attention. Search conspicuity is when a driver is actively searching for you, which very few are. Attention conspicuity is when a driver is unaware of your presence but sees you anyway - when approaching an intersection or when you're stopped on the road ahead.

The following factors of conspicuity are described individually, then combined into one cohesive emergency vehicle design.

Luminance Contrast

For an emergency vehicle to be easily seen on the road it must compete visually with everything in its operational environment including: a brilliant blue sky, grey buildings with brightly colored signage, the gleaming white of a snow-covered landscape, and the vast blackness of a highway at night.

Most driving conditions feature relatively low luminance backgrounds, including dawn or dusk, or on an overcast day. Brightly colored emergency vehicles are the best choice on these days, for instance a vehicle with a feature color of yellow being best.

Emergency vehicles also encounter high luminance backgrounds such as bright skies and snowy landscapes so another aspect of visibility design must be incorporated. In these high luminance backgrounds, the emergency vehicle should have a dark color in order to maximize the luminance contrast.

You can score your vehicle quickly and easily using the EVCON Quick Score system by visiting http://www.crestlinecoach.com/evcon/quick_score.php.