1 drivers training course night driving familiarization

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DRIVERS TRAINING COURSE

NIGHT DRIVING FAMILIARIZATION


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PURPOSE

TO FAMILIARIZE DRIVER CANDIDATES WITH NIGHT

DRIVING HAZARDS AND PROCEDURES.

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REFERENCES

• AR 600-55, THE ARMY DRIVER AND OPERATOR STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM

• FM 21-305, MANUAL FOR THE WHEELED VEHICLE DRIVER

• TC 21-305-2, TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NIGHT VISION GOGGLE OPERATIONS

• TM 11-5855-238-10 AN/PVS-5 NIGHT VISION GOGGLES OPERATOR’S MANUAL

• TM 11-5855-262-10-1, AN/PVS-7A NIGHT VISION GOGGLES OPERATOR’S MANUAL

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• VISION BASICS

• LIGHT ENTERS THE EYE THROUGH THE PUPIL AND PASSES THROUGH THE LENS WHERE IT IS FOCUSED ON THE RETINA

• DEPTH PERCEPTION: USED TO DETERMINE HEIGHT AND DISTANCE

• VISUAL ACUITY: HOW WELL YOU CAN SEE

• 20/20 IS CONSIDERED NORMAL VISION

• DARK ADAPTATION TAKES 30 - 45 MINUTES

• MOVEMENT PLANNERS MUST CONSIDER THIS WHEN PLANNING NIGHT OPERATIONS

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• PHYSICAL FACTORS IMPACTING NIGHT VISION

• SMOKING REDUCES NIGHT VISION ABILITY BY 20 PERCENT

• FATIGUE SLOWS YOUR RESPONSE AND IMPACTS JUDGEMENT

• EAT FOODS WITH VITAMIN A TO IMPROVE NIGHT VISION (EGGS, CARROTS, CHEESE)

• EXERCISE DAILY TO HELP PREVENT FATIGUE

• GET ENOUGH SLEEP BEFORE CONDUCTING NIGHT DRIVING OPERATIONS

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• INTRODUCTION TO NIGHT DRIVING

• FATALITY RATE FOR NIGHTTIME DRIVERS IS TWICE THAT OF DAYTIME DRIVERS

• BASED ON MILES DRIVEN, NIGHT DRIVING IS TWO TO THREE TIMES MORE DANGEROUS THAN DAY DRIVING

• FATIGUE AND REDUCED VISION ARE THE MAIN CAUSES OF THE GREATER DANGER

• DAYTIME: DRIVERS CAN SEE SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET AHEAD

• NIGHTTIME: DRIVERS CAN ONLY SEE AT MOST A FEW HUNDRED FEET

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• HEADLIGHT GLARE CAN BLIND YOU FOR 2 -3 SECONDS

• AT 50 MPH 3 SECONDS = 219 FEET

• FATIGUE

• IMPAIRS JUDGEMENT

• SLOWS REACTIONS

• MANY DRIVERS AT NIGHT ARE FATIGUED

• MAY CAUSE OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

• INCREASES GLARE RECOVERY TIME

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• NIGHT DRIVING SAFETY

• SCAN FOR HAZARDS AS FAR AHEAD AS POSSIBLE

• SPEED RULE OF THUMB: NEVER OUTRUN YOUR HEADLIGHTS

• YOUR STOPPING DISTANCE SHOULD BE LESS THAN YOUR SIGHT DISTANCE

• HEADLIGHTS MUST SHINE 200 FEET

• STOPPING DISTANCE AT 55MPH = 307 FEET (107 FEET MORE THAN SIGHT DISTANCE)

• BOTTOM LINE: SLOW DOWN AT NIGHT

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• NIGHT VISION GOGGLE (NVG) FAMILIARIZATION

• NVGs AMPLIFY AVAILABLE AMBIENT LIGHT

• STARLIGHT

• MOONLIGHT

• OTHER SOURCES

• NVGs DO NOT MAGNIFY IMAGES

• PERFORMANCE DIRECTLY RELATED TO AMOUNT OF AMBIENT LIGHT

• MORE AMBIENT LIGHT MEANS BETTER RESOLUTION AND OBJECT IDENTIFICATION

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• VISUAL ACUITY WITH NVGs WILL ALWAYS BE LESS THAN NAKED EYES

• BEST ACUITY WITH AN/PVS-7 NVG = 20/40

• BEST ACUITY WITH AN/PVS-5 NVG = 20/50

• DEPTH PERCEPTION EFFECT:

• 0-20 FEET: DEPTH PERCEPTION DECREASED

• 20-500 FEET: DEPTH PERCEPTION ABOUT EQUAL TO UNAIDED EYE

• 500 FEET AND MORE: DEPTH PERCEPTION DECREASED

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• PERIPHERAL VISION REDUCED

• NO COLOR DISCRIMINATION

• NVG PICTURE IS GREEN

• HARD TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SOME OBJECTS

• SOME EFFECTS MAY LINGER AFTER NVGs ARE REMOVED

• RAIN, HAZE, FOG, SNOW AND SMOKE REDUCE NVG PERFORMANCE

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• THREE GENERATIONS OF NVGs

• AN/PVS-5 IS SECOND GENERATION

• AN/PVS-7 MAY BE SECOND OR THIRD GENERATION

• THIRD GENERATION NVGs HAVE REDUCED SENSITIVITY TO BLUE OR GREEN LIGHT

• FOR NIGHT OPERATIONS USE FLASHLIGHTS WITH BLUE OR GREEN FILTERS

• SECOND GENERATION NVGs FAIL GRADUALLY

• MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL MUST CHECK THEM FREQUENTLY TO ENSURE PROPER OPERATION

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• USE OF NVGs DURING DAYLIGHT WILL DAMAGE THE NVG

• INFRARED LIGHT MAY BE USED BUT MAKES THE NVG AN ACTIVE SYSTEM THAT THE ENEMY CAN DETECT

• NVGs PROTECT YOUR EYES FROM LASERS

• USE OF VEHICLE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS REDUCES NVD EFFECTIVENESS

• AVOID ROUGH HANDLING OF NVGs

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• CARE AND MAINTENANCE

• PROTECT NVGs FROM DUST, SAND, AND HUMIDITY

• DO NOT USE ANTI-MISTING CLOTHS OR CHEMICALS ON THE LENSES

• USE LENS COVERS WHEN NOT WEARING THE GOGGLES

• ENSURE THE SELECTOR IS IN THE OFF POSITION BEFORE INSTALLING OR REMOVING BATTERIES

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• CARE AND MAINTENANCE (CONTINUED)

• NVG RESOLUTION CHECKS ARE REQUIRED EVERY 180 DAYS

• CHECK FOR PROPER TUBE OPERATION BEFORE EACH MISSION

• NEVER STORE NVGs WET OR IN A WET CARRYING CASE

• READ THE TM TO ENSURE YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND PROPER OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES

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• DRIVING WITH NIGHT VISION GOGGLES

• FOR MOST EFFECTIVE NVG OPERATION, DIM OR TAPE OVER ALL VEHICLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS

• NO DARK ADAPTATION PERIOD NEEDED FOR NVG USE

• KEEP ANY BRIGHT LIGHTS OUT OF THE NVG FIELD OF VIEW

• REMEMBER DUST, RAIN, FOG AND SNOW REDUCE NVG EFFECTIVENESS

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• SPEED RULE OF THUMB: NEVER DRIVE FASTER THAN 25 MPH WITH NVGs

• AR 600-55, CHAPTER 8, REQUIRES COMMANDERS TO ESTABLISH NVG SPEED LIMITS BASED ON:

• TYPE AND GENERATION OF NVG

• TYPE OF VEHICLES BEING DRIVEN

• WEATHER

• TERRAIN

• MISSION/ROUTE TYPE

• AMOUNT OF LIGHT AVAILABLE

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• FM 21-305, CHAPTER 23 HAS GRAPHS NEEDED TO DETERMINE SAFE SPEED UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

• NEVER USE NVGs ON PUBLIC ROADS OR HIGHWAYS

• USE A CONTINUAL, SLOW SCANNING PATTERN TO IMPROVE OBJECT IDENTIFICATION

• USE GROUND GUIDES WHEN OPERATING A VEHICLE WHILE USING NVGs

• IF THE VEHICLE OR NVGs MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING, PULL TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WARN OTHER DRIVERS

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• TO MOVE TO ANY POSITION EXCEPT B.O. MARKER, LIFT THE UNLOCK SWITCH

• BLACKOUT MARKER LIGHTS

• 2 ON FRONT AND 2 ON REAR

• USED TO MARK LOCATION OF VEHICLE DURING BLACKOUT CONDITIONS

• MARKER LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD

VEHICLE LIGHT SWITCH

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REAR BLACKOUT MARKER LIGHTS

• EACH REAR LAMP HAS 2 PAIRS OF “CAT’S EYES”

• TURNS RED WHEN ON

• ONE LIGHT: TOO FAR AWAY

• TWO LIGHTS: JUST RIGHT

• FOUR LIGHTS: TOO CLOSE

• BLACKOUT STOP-LIGHT FLASHES WHITE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED

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• EACH FRONT LIGHT HAS ONE PAIR OF CAT’S EYES

• TURNS WHITE WHEN ON

• MORE THAN 60 FEET AWAY: EACH PAIR APPEARS AS ONE LIGHT

• LESS THAN 60 FEET AWAY: APPEARS AS A PAIR OF CAT’S EYES IN EACH LIGHT

FRONT BLACKOUT MARKER LIGHTS

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BLACKOUT DRIVING LIGHT• MOUNTED TO THE LEFT OF THE LEFT HEADLIGHT

• GIVES LIMITED LIGHT BLACKOUT DRIVE LIGHT

HMMWV FRONT VIEWBLACKOUT MARKER

BLACKOUT MARKER

HMMWV REAR VIEW

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SUMMARY

• PURPOSE

• REFERENCES

• VISION BASICS

• INTRODUCTION TO NIGHT DRIVING

• NIGHT DRIVING SAFETY


• DRIVING WITH NVGs

• VEHICLE LIGHTS

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QUESTIONS?

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1 drivers training course night driving familiarization

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