COLORED PAVEMENTS MAY MAKE DRIVING SMOOTHER AND SAFER

RED, YELLOW, OR GREEN COLORED PAVEMENTS AT INTERSECTIONS AND FREEWAY RAMPS CAN HELP DRIVERS MAKE CRUCIAL DECISIONS FASTER AND MORE ACCURATELY, ACCORDING TO RECENT U. S. STUDIES. IN NEW JERSEY, DRIVERS ENTERING THE RED COLORED PAVEMENT ON THE APPROACH RAMP WERE OBSERVED TO SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY. THIS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT STOP IS THE MESSAGE NORMALLY CONVEYED TO A DRIVER BY THE COLOR RED. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT FEWER DRIVERS FAILED TO SLOW OR STOP AT THE STOP SIGN THAN BEFORE. ANOTHER STUDY REVEALED THAT COLOR IS EFFECTIVE IN CHANNELING TRAFFIC MORE SMOOTHLY THROUGH INTERSECTIONS WITH LEFT-TURN LANES. IT IS COMMONLY CONCLUDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE USE OF COLORED PAVEMENTS AS A TRAFFIC CONTROL AND SAFETY DEVICE IS LIMITED TO DAYLIGHT HOURS. COLORS ARE BARELY DISTINGUISHABLE TO DRIVERS AT NIGHT--IF AT ALL. /ARTICLE/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 21, No 4, P 38
• Publication Date: 1968-4

Media Info

• Serial:
  • World Construction
  • Publisher: Donnelley (Reuben H) Corporation

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Colorants; Concrete; Concrete pavements; Daylight; Decision making; Drivers; Interchange ramps; Intersections; Red; Traffic control
• Uncontrolled Terms: Channelization
• Old TRIS Terms: Concrete coloring; Freeway ramps
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225225
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 1 1994 12:00AM