DRIVER RECALL OF ROADSIDE SIGNS

200 car drivers were stopped and asked to recall the message on a worded traffic warning sign they had just passed. Because of the poor recall of this sign it was replaced with a sign bearing the international symbol conveying the same warning, and a further 200 drivers were stopped and interviewed. To ascertain the effect that a more complex environment might have on recall of the latter sign, and also to determine the consequences of erecting a series of signs with different messages on a single short stretch of road, the procedure was then repeated with the sympolic warning sign being one of a series of three warning signs and an advertising sign. The positions of the signs in the series were varied systematically and 200 drivers interviewed for each serial order. Free recall of all the signs in the series was required. Variables included in the investigation were: (a) sex of driver; (b) presence of passengers; (c) distance driver prior to being interviewed; (d) number of years drivers had held licence; (e) ages of vehicles driven; (f) familiarity with the road. Recall varied significantly from sign to sign, but in no case did the probability of recall approach 0.50. Recall of the advertising sign was significantly worse than recall of the traffic signs. Other significant variables were distance driven prior to being stopped, number of years driving licence held, and familiarity with the road. Suggestions are made for further research.

• Corporate Authors:

  Ministry of Transport, New Zealand

  Road Transport Division, Private Bag
  Wellington,   New Zealand 
• Authors:
  • Sanderson, J E
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Driver licenses; Drivers; Gender; International; Interviewing; Motor vehicles; Recall campaigns; Service life; Symbol signs; Traffic signs; Warning signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver age; Driver interviews; Vehicle age
• Old TRIS Terms: International symbol signs
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00083737
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 8 1975 12:00AM