James R. Schmidt, Jr., BSME, Collision Reconstruction Engineering Analyst

Speed from video, tractor-trailer off-tracking, and sun glare are topics I enjoy writing about the most.  Sun glare is the topic of choice this time around.

Recently, I picked up my morning coffee before heading into the office.  In so doing, the sun was directly behind me as I was going to pick up the coffee, as evidenced by the long shadow cast by my vehicle on the roadway in front of me:

With the sun behind me, there were no visibility problems.

But, after picking up my coffee, I turned the car around 180 degrees and the sun was now directly in my face:

This presented a serious sun glare situation, as shown on dash cam video.

Simple research of the sun position for that date, time, and location was performed:

A basic plot of that position on an aerial photograph was made, demonstrating that the sun was directly in line with the roadway (i.e.- azimuth of 128.6 degrees):

The 8.3 degree altitude of the sun wasn’t, in and of itself, overly low but the uphill grade of the roadway effectively “lowered” the position of the sun, thereby creating a sun glare situation.

Other articles on the topic of sun glare I have authored that might “brighten your day” include:

Sun Glare… What a difference a day makes!

Sunglare … Where?

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

James R. Schmidt, Jr., BSME, Collision Reconstruction Engineering Analyst with DJS Associates, Inc., can be reached via email at experts@forensicDJS.com or via phone at 215-659-2010.

Collision Reconstruction | James R. Schmidt | Sun Glare