THE HUMAN FACTOR IN HIGHWAY REGULATION AND SAFETY
ALTHOUGH EXCEEDINGLY IMPORTANT, NO SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION OF THE HUMAN FACTOR IN TRAFFIC HAD EVER BEEN UNDERTAKEN; DODGE EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING THE HUMAN FACTOR ILLUSTRATING HIS POINTS WITH RESPECT TO THE MENTAL PROBLEMS OF THE HIGHWAY BY CASUAL OBSERVATIONS. SUCH THINGS AS SIGNS THAT TAKE TOO MUCH TIME TO COMPREHEND, AND LACK OF VISIBILITY OF TRAFFIC POLICEMEN IN DARK CLOTHING, ILLUSTRATE THE NEED FOR DETERMINATION OF THE IDEAL TRAFFIC SIGNS AND SIGNALS. THE TIME ELEMENT WITH RELATION TO DRIVERS' HAND AND ARM SIGNAL NEEDS STUDY. THE VISUAL LIMITATIONS OF BOTH DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN ESTABLISHING TRAFFIC HANDLING METHODS. THE PROHIBITION OF LEFT TURNS AND THE USE OF ONE WAY STREETS ARE IMPORTANT IN THIS CONNECTION. A SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF CONFUSION OF DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS INVOLVING THE PRACTICAL LIMITS OF ATTENTION AND THE FACTS OF HUMAN VARIABILITY IS NEEDED. MINIMUM REACTION TIME, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN SAFETY, COULD BE MADE A MATTER OF TEST. STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR DRIVERS AND GENERAL EDUCATION FOR SAFETY ARE ALSO FIELDS FOR THE SERVICE OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND EDUCATORS.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 2, No 32, PT 1, PP 73-78. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- Dodge, R
- Publication Date: 1923
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Proceedings
- Volume: 2
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Driver training; Drivers; Driving tests; Human factors; Reaction time; Traffic control; Traffic signals; Traffic signs
- Old TRIS Terms: Traffic control systems
- Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00220979
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Aug 26 1970 12:00AM