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July 24, 2015
Alternative Information Signs: An Evaluation of Driver Comprehension and Visual Attention
Dr. David Hurwitz (PI), Michael Olsen (Co-PI), and Justin Neil
Oregon State UniversityThe effectiveness of a traffic sign is collectively influenced by the sign’s understandability, legibility distance, glance legibility, and learnability; however, understandability has been repeatedly identified as a one of the most important measures of effectiveness. This study compared a variety of online survey questions and driving simulation tasks to assess the understandability of alternative Tourist Information signs in Oregon. In all of these tests, the “INFO” Sign was shown to be the most understandable of the alternatives evaluated in this study by a significant margin. The two “i” Sign alternatives had the second and third highest comprehension rates for driving simulator subjects. However, it is likely that comprehension rates for the “i” Sign will continue to increase in the future due to its prolific usage in a wide variety of contexts.
The results were accepted for publication in the ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering. Separately, the results of the study will be presented at the 15th Annual COTA Conference in Beijing, China by Dr. David Hurwitz. The PIs and PacTrans would like to recognize the cash-match provided by Travel Oregon, without which the project would not have been nearly as successful.
Contact: Dr. David Hurwitz
Email: david.hurwitz@oregonstate.edu