Citation

Dewar RE, Kline DW, Swanson HA. Transp. Res. Rec. 1994; 1456: 1.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Previous research has shown that drivers, particularly elderly ones, do not understand many of the symbolic traffic signs on U.S. highways. Phase I of this research examined comprehension levels of virtually all (85) of the symbols in the U.S. "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways" (FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1988) as a function of age. Subsequently, new versions of 13 of these symbols and 5 novel symbols were tested. Drivers in Texas, Idaho, and Alberta, Canada, participated in the studies. Of the 85 standard symbols, 16 were understood by more than 95% of drivers; however, 10 were understood by less than 40%. Older drivers had poorer understanding than younger ones of 39% of the symbols examined; for the remainder there were no age differences. In Phase II modifications and redesigns to selected symbols resulted in better understanding of three messages and poorer understanding of four messages. Comprehension of the novel symbols was close to that of the modified and redesigned ones. Again, older drivers had poorer understanding, but there was no systematic relationship between age and changes in comprehension level following revision of the symbols.

Language: en