HOW DRIVERS LOCATE UNFAMILIAR ADDRESSES - AN EXPERIMENT IN ROUTE FINDING

DRIVERS' PERFORMANCES IN WAY-FINDING WAS STUDIED BY OBSERVING 20 DRIVERS AS THEY DROVE TO TWO UNFAMILIAR ADDRESSESS, 11 AND 14 MILES FROM A STARTING POINT. THE DISTANCE TRAVELED, SPEED, AND TIME SPENT WERE COMPARED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF A CONTROL GROUP, IN WHICH THE DRIVERS RECEIVED ON-ROUTE GUIDANCE INFORMATION. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE OBSERVED GROUP WAS NOT EFFICIENT. TO GET TO THE SAME DESTINATION, DRIVERS TRAVELED ALMOST HALF AGAIN AS FAR AS THE CONTROL GROUP, ACHIEVED LESS THAN TWO-THIRDS THE SPEED, AND TOOK MORE THAN TWICE AS LONG TO COMPLETE THEIR TRAVEL. THE EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT MOST TIME IS LOST IN THE AREA OF THE LOCAL ADDRESS. ALMOST ALL DRIVERS ADOPTED THE STRATEGY OF GOING TO THE LOCAL AREA AND ASKING SERVICE ATTENDANTS THERE FOR DETAILED ROUTING INFORMATION. SIX OF THE 20 DRIVERS STARTED OUT WITHOUT OBTAINING ANY ADVANCE INFORMATION AT ALL. /AUTHOR/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1586080
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 36, No 2, PP 44-47
• Authors:
  • Gordon, D A
  • Wood, H C
• Publication Date: 1970-6

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Public Roads
  • Publisher: Federal Highway Administration
  • ISSN: 0033-3735
  • Serial URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Distance; Driver performance; Drivers; Experiments; Location; Origin and destination; Personnel performance; Routes; Speed; Travel time
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223259
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 17 1970 12:00AM