LEGIBILITY AND VISIBILITY OF RETROREFLECTIVE SIGN MATERIALS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative effectiveness of major retroreflective sign materials. Three white legend materials (demountable characters with reflector buttons, Type III encapsulated lens high intensity retroreflective sheeting, and Type II enclosed lens engineering grade retroreflective sheeting) and three green background materials (Type III sheeting, Type II sheeting, and non-reflective paint) were used in various combinations of legend and background. A group of 11 observers were driven through a test area where both an overhead and a roadside sign were displayed with the legend/background combinations, and the observers rated the combinations for legibility and visibility under both day and nighttime conditions. Results were as follows: 1) Demountable characters with reflector buttons were the preferred legend material for night and day; 2) Type III and Type II sheeting were equally preferred background materials for the above legend material; and 3) Type III legend on Type II background was the favored sheeting-on-sheeting sign combination. Recommendations are as follows: 1) The use of demountable characters with reflector buttons as a legend material for signs should be further investigated; and 2) A follow-up investigation on the effectiveness of signing combinations, including newly available signing materials and a broader spectrum of observers, should be conducted.

• Corporate Authors:

  Michigan Department of Transportation

  State Transportation Building
  425 West Ottawa Street
  Lansing, MI  United States  48909
• Authors:
  • Nordlund, R E
  • Long, D C
  • Smith, G M
  • Andrews, V C
• Publication Date: 1990-1

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 21 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Days; Legibility; Materials; Night; Ratings; Recommendations; Reflective signs; Retroreflectivity; Traffic signs; Visibility
• Uncontrolled Terms: Background (Traffic signs)
• Old TRIS Terms: Demountable characters; Reflector buttons; Test results; Traffic sign materials
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Operations and Traffic Management; Research; I35: Miscellaneous Materials; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00601294
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Res Rept R-1304, Res Proj 76 TI-345
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 30 1990 12:00AM