RECOGNITION OF COLOURED LIGHTS BY COLOUR DEFECTIVE INDIVIDUALS

FIFTY TWO COLOR DEFECTIVE MALES WERE TESTED WITH FLASHING DIRECTIVE SIGNALS. MORE MISTAKES WERE MADE UNDER DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS THAN AT NIGHT. ELEVEN PERCENT MADE ERRORS AT HIGH INTENSITY AND 13% AT LOW INTENSITY. THE AMBER SIGNALS WERE MISTAKEN FOR RED WHILE THE WHITE SIGNAL WAS MAINLY MISTAKEN FOR GREEN. THE PROTAN /RED DEFECTIVE/ GROUP MADE 10% MISTAKES AT LOW INTENSITY AND NONE AT HIGH INTENSITY. THE DUTAN /GREEN DEFECTIVE/ GROUP MADE 5.2% MISTAKES AT LOW INTENSITY AND 3.7% AT HIGH INTENSITY. WITH SYMBOLITE SIGNALS 1% MADE MISTAKES AT LOW INTENSITY AND NONE AT HIGH INTENSITY. RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE AMBER FLASHING SIGNAL IS NOT A SAFE COLOR FOR THE COLOR DEFECTIVE DRIVER. STREET TRAFFIC SIGNALS COULD BE MADE SAFER BY THE USE OF A SYMBOL SYSTEM AND ALSO BY INCREASING THE BRIGHTNESS.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 10 Pp, 10 FIG, 2 PHOT, 7 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF)

  Ottowa, Ontario  Canada 
• Authors:
  • Shirley, S Y
  • Gouthier, R J
• Publication Date: 1966

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brightness; Coding systems; Color; Color blindness; Color vision; Computer programming languages; Flashing traffic signals; Persons with disabilities; Red interval (Traffic signal cycle); Symbols; Testing; Traffic signals; Yellow interval (Traffic signal cycle)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Flashing yellow signals
• Old TRIS Terms: Flashing red
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222643
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: CANADIAN GOOD ROADS ASSOCIATION
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 1994 12:00AM