COLOR AND FORM OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND SIGNS IN RELATION TO SAFETY

IN ORDER THAT THE ATTENTION OF THE DRIVER SHALL BE AS LITTLE DISTRACTED AS POSSIBLE AND THAT DRIVING PROPERLY MAY BECOME A MATTER OF ESTABLISHED HABIT, TRAFFIC REGULATION SHOULD BE AS UNIFORM AS POSSIBLE AND COMMON-SENSE IN NATURE. IMPROPER SIGNALS MAY HAVE AN INFLUENCE BEYOND THEIR ACUTAL LOCATION IN INTERFERING WITH THE FORMATION OF SAFE HABITS. THE COLOR, FORM POSITION AND SPEED OF VISIBILITY OF SIGNS AND SIGNALS IN RELATION TO THESE PRINCIPLES ARE DISCUSSED. THE PROBLEM OF COLOR IS COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT COLOR DISCRIMINATION IS NOT THE SAME IN THE PERIPHERAL PORTION OF THE EYE AS IN THE CENTRAL PORTION. SINCE MOST COLOR BLINDNESS CORRESPONDS TO PERIPHERAL COLOR VISION IN THE NORMAL EYE IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT LUMINOUS SIGNAL COLORS BE MADE OF THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE EFFECIENCY FOR PERIPHERAL VISION OF NORMAL DRIVERS. THE USE OF COLORS TO MEAN MORE THAN ONE THING IS CONFUSING AND DANGEROUS. COLORS, SHAPES AND SYMBOLS ARE IMPORTANT IN PROVIDING INFORMATIVE SIGNS WHICH WILL MITIGATE THE EXISTING CONFUSION AND INEFFECIENCY IN SUCH SIGNS.

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/7/7-007.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 7, Part I, PP 63-74; part of Report of Committee on Causes and Prevention of Highway Accidents. 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.
• Authors:
  • Dunlap, K
• Publication Date: 1928

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board Held at Washington, D.C. December 1-2, 1927. Part I: Reports of Research Committees and of Special Investigations and Papers
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 7
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Color; Location; Peripheral vision; Position fixing; Shape; Standardization; Traffic signals; Traffic signs; Visibility
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225799
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 25 1971 12:00AM