Research on the Impact of Nighttime Media Facades on Driver Distraction

YAN Yuping; XU Jingfeng; HE Ying; LIU Yuanyuan

doi:10.3969∕j.issn.1004-440X.2026.01.005

Abstract：Driver distraction is a critical factor affecting driving safety at night.With the rapid development of the urban nighttime economy,media facades,as dynamic display landscapes,have attracted widespread attention due to their significant impact on drivers.However,existing studies have not yet clearly identified the effects of nighttime media facades lighting parameters on driver distraction behavior.Therefore,based on a survey of the brightness and color data of media facades on 64 buildings in Chongqing,this study determined typical experimental scene parameters and investigated the effects of nighttime media facade brightness and colour on driver distraction behavior.Sixteen typical lighting scenarios were identified and combined with laboratory-based simulated driving experiments.Finally,the small-target reaction time and lapse points of 30 participants under the 16 lighting conditions were measured.The results show that multicolor media facades result in the longest small-target reaction time for drivers(517.23 ms),whereas white light produces the shortest reaction time(472.09 ms).Differences in brightness do not have a significant effect on distraction,but any bright condition is significantly higher than the non-lighting condition.The study indicates that color has a much greater impact on distraction than brightness:red and multicolor lighting have a stronger impact,while white or cyan lighting has a smaller impact.Brightness levels need to be coordinated with ambient lighting.This study provides a reference for evaluating the effects of brightness and color of nighttime media facades,ensuring nighttime road traffic safety,and supporting the formulation of future standards and design guidelines.