THE COVERT RESPONSES OF DRIVERS TO TWO ROAD BASED ALERTING DEVICES

Two driver alerting devices installed on the approaches to hazardous roundabout sites in Wiltshire have been compared. One of these devices known as rumble areas produces both an auditory and visual signal whereas the other device, consisting of a grid of yellow bars, produces essentially visual cues. The covert response has been examined in a total of twenty-five subjects using subjective assessments, and in the case of nine subjects, heart rate responses in addition. Results of the heart rate tests indicate that rumble areas generally increased levels of alertness although there was no significant support for this from the subjective assessment. Yellow bars did not appear to have a similar effect. The devices did not alarm subjects and although both tended to slightly increase levels of distraction the resulting level was still low. /Author/TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • WATTS, G R
• Publication Date: 1977

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 28 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access roads; Alertness; Drivers; Hazards; Heart; Human factors; Perception; Reaction time; Road markings; Roundabouts; Rumble strips; Speed; Traffic circles; Vision; Warning systems
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction; Hazard perception
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
• ITRD Terms: 435: Access road; 2238: Attention; 562: Carriageway marking; 1772: Driver; 2037: Heart; 2257: Human factor; 2229: Perception; 438: Roundabout; 2849: Rumble strip; 5408: Speed; 8119: United Kingdom; 2066: Vision
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00163189
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRRL SR 26 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: May 18 1978 12:00AM