DEVELOPMENT OF A METHODOLOGY FOR EVALUATING ROAD SIGNS

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO DEVELOP A METHODOLOGY THAT WILL ENABLE THE EVALUATION OF ROAD SIGNS BY USING AN EYE-MARKER CAMERA AS A PRIMARY RESEARCH TOOL. IN THIS RESEARCH EIGHT DIFFERENT FIELD STUDIES AND THREE LABORATORY STUDIES WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT VARIABLES THAT ARE RELATED TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SIGNING, THE DRIVERS, THE HIGHWAYS AND THE TRAFFIC SITUATIONS ON THE SIGN READING BEHAVIORS OF THE DRIVERS. THE FIELD WORK INVOLVED COLLECTION OF THE DRIVER EYE MOVEMENTS AND DRIVER PERFORMANCE DATA UNDER ACTUAL DRIVING SITUATIONS FOR OVER 400 DIFFERENT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SIGNS DURING DAYTINE USING AN AVERAGE THREE TO FIVE SUBJECTS. THE DATA WAS ANALYZED BY SPECIALLY DEVELOPED COMPUTER PROGRAMS CALLED SEADEM PROGRAMS (SIGN EVALUATION BY THE ANALYSIS OF DRIVER EYE MOVEMENTS). SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THIS RESEARCH ARE AS FOLLOWS: (1) THE MAXIMUM TIME-DISTANCE FROM WHICH A DRIVER ACTUALLY BEGINS TO ACQUIRE INFORMATION FROM A SIGN IS THE "KEY" VARIABLE FOR BOTH THE DESIGN AND THE EVALUATION OF SIGNS. THE ABOVE TIME- DISTANCE DECREASES WITH INCREASE IN VISUAL LOADS CAUSED BY INCREASE IN TRAFFIC DENSITY. (2) IN GENERAL, THE DRIVERS DO NOT CONCENTRATE ON THE SIGN AFTER THE FIRST FIXATION ON THE SIGN, BUT THEY TIME-SHARE WITH THE SIGN AND OTHER OBJECTS ON THE ROAD. THE TIME-SHARING PROCESS OF THE DRIVERS WITH THE SIGNS IS DEPENDENT UPON FACTORS SUCH AS TIME DISTANCE TO THE FIRST FIXATION ON THE SIGN, TRAFFIC DENSITY, TYPE OF INFORMATIONAL NEED OF THE DRIVER, LENGTH OF MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE SIGN, RELEVANCY OF INFORMATION TO THE DRIVER, DRIVER FAMILIARITY, ETC. (3) THE SIGN READING BEHAVIORS OF DRIVERS DRIVING ON UNFAMILIAR ROADS UNDER "CONFUSING" AND "INADEQUATE" SIGNING SITUATIONS, IN GENERAL, EXHIBIT THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS: A. LATE BEGINNING OF SIGN READING, I.E., VERY LOW UTILIZATION OF LEGIBILITY DISTANCES, B. CONCENTRATED ATTENTION ON SIGNS DURING TIME-SHARING INTERVAL, AND C. LATE COMPLETION OF SIGN READING; I. E., CONTINUED READING AS LATE AS POSSIBLE UNTIL THE SIGN IS PASSED. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • NO EES-315B
• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio State University, Columbus

  190 North Oval Drive
  Columbus, OH  United States  43210
• Authors:
  • Bhise, V D
  • Rockwell, T H
• Publication Date: 1973-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 241 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Cameras; Computer programs; Driver performance; Drivers; Eye; Legibility; Personnel performance; Sight distance; Traffic signs; Vision; Visual perception
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226722
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Fin Rep
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 28 1973 12:00AM