Teenage Drivers’ Understanding of Traffic Control Devices

2000 ◽  
Vol 1708 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry L. Ford ◽  
Dale L. Picha
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Driver Education ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Left Turn ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
The Road ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
Teenage Drivers

Teenage drivers are involved in traffic crashes more often than any other driver group, and their fundamental knowledge of traffic control devices and rules of the road is extremely important in safe driving. Only limited data exist, however, on teenage drivers’ understanding of traffic control devices, and little research has been done on determining their comprehension thereof. Research was performed to document teenage drivers’ ability to understand 53 traffic control devices. These traffic control devices included 6 combinations of sign shape and color; 8 regulatory signs; 14 warning signs; 7 school, highway–railroad grade crossing, and construction warning signs; 7 pavement markings; and 11 traffic signals. Research results were then compared with previous comprehension studies to identify specific traffic control devices that the driving public continually misunderstands. In general, the results indicated that surveyed teenage drivers understood the traffic control devices to some degree. Only nine devices were understood by more than 80 percent of the respondents. The devices found problematic to teenage drivers include combinations of sign shape and color, warning-symbol signs, white pavement markings, flashing intersection beacons, and circular red/green arrow left-turn-signal displays. Recommendations include revising states’ drivers handbooks and increasing emphasis in the driver education curriculum to clarify the meaning and intent of problematic traffic control devices.

Effect of Time and Foggy Conditions on Subjective Visibility

2005 ◽  
Vol 1911 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Munehiro ◽  
Roberto A. Tokunaga ◽  
Motoki Asano ◽  
Toru Hagiwara
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Weather Condition ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Test Road ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Dense Fog ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices

In dense fog, the visibility of retroreflective traffic control devices is vital for driving safety. However, few studies have addressed the visibility of such devices in fog during a 24-h period (daytime, evening, and nighttime). This study measures the subjective visibility of the latest traffic control devices under various visibility conditions. An experiment was performed during a 2-month period in 2003 under natural fog at a test road 200 m long and 7.5 m wide in Eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Visibility conditions varied by daytime, evening, and nighttime and by weather condition factor (clear, cloudy, and dense fog). Thirteen kinds of traffic control devices were used as targets: two types of pavement markings, three of delineators, four of warning signs, and four of chevrons. Various newly developed materials were tested, and color and size were varied. The 20 women who participated in the experiment were required to make subjective judgments within a few seconds of the visibility of each target and their feeling of safety, assuming that they were driving on that section at 50 km/h. Results showed that daytime fog had a major negative effect on subjective visibility evaluations, while nighttime fog did not have as great a negative effect as that in daytime. However, the subjective visibility values of targets under the nighttime cloudy condition were worse than those under the daytime dense fog condition. Also, subjective visibility values for target objects made of highly reflective materials or incorporating fluorescent colors were high under both daytime fog and nighttime fog conditions.

Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Requirements for Older Drivers

1996 ◽  
Vol 1529 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnny R. Graham ◽  
Joseph K. Harrold ◽  
L. Ellis King
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Older Drivers ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Subjective Evaluations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
Pavement Marking

Traffic pavement markings serve to regulate, guide, and channelize traffic and supplement other traffic-control devices. Because of their retroreflective properties pavement markings are critical for guidance at night, when reference objects near the edge of the roadway are difficult to see. Nighttime luminance levels provided by pavement markings that may be adequate for younger drivers may be less than adequate for older drivers. Both subjective evaluations and quantitative measures of in-place roadway markings were made to determine minimum marking retroreflectivity levels required for older drivers. In the field study more than 85 percent of subjects aged 60 years or older rated a marking retroreflectance of 100 mcd/m2/lx as adequate or more than adequate for night conditions. This base value does not include the effects of windshields and headlights that are less than clean or the variability of individual vehicle headlight performance. A comparison between the results for older drivers and the results of a similar 1989 study of younger drivers was also made. It was found that whereas the average subjective ratings were similarly distributed relative to the retroreflectivity of pavement markings, there was a significant difference in the subjective ratings made by older and younger drivers. Older drivers consistently rated the retroreflectivity of markings lower than did younger drivers.

scholarly journals Introduction

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dawn Jourdan
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
The Road ◽  
Visual Inputs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sign Type ◽  
Interior Environments

The second issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding is dedicated to the topic of visibility. As simply put by the Texas Transportation Institute: Seeing the road and everything around it while driving is not a preferred option, rather it is an essential component of safe driving. Driving is a visual activity, and as we make our way down a road, we all look at a wide range of visual inputs - the roadway, the surrounding terrain, other vehicles, roadside buildings and advertisements and traffic control devices such as signs, markings, and signals - to help us get where we are going. How we distinguish those visual inputs and maneuver the vehicle safely varies from person to person and can depend on quite a number of random, uncontrollable things - the weather, time of day, driver age, health and experience, as well as unexpected distractions inside or outside the vehicle - all can have an effect.https://tti.tamu.edu/group/visibility/, last visited 6/12/17. As businesses know, their businesses must be visible to be viable. Clear signage enhances their visibility in the marketplace. Regardless of sign type or intended audience, being able to see and read the message on a sign is critical. In this issue of the International Journal of Signage and Wayfinding, Bullough explores the literature on visibility as it relates to the conspicuity and legibility of signage. This article provides contexts for what we know about the typographic and symbolic characteristics of signs, as well as the environments in which they are placed. Pedestrians rely on signs to help them navigate exterior and interior environments. Apardian and Alum demonstrate the importance of different high-visibility pedestrian warning signs at midblock crossings for pedestrian safety. Symonds explores the importance of clear wayfinding strategies inside airports while Ward and his students provides an analysis of the critical wayfinding elements on college campuses. Visibility is also critical for motorists as they traverse US roadways. Auffrey and Hilderbrant provide an accounting of the lost opportunities of those businesses whose signs cannot be viewed by passersby. Utilizing 3M's Visual Analysis Software, the researchers demonstrate the average probability that a sign is being viewed by motorists and make recommendations for improving visibility.  

scholarly journals Introduction

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dawn Jourdan
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
The Road ◽  
Visual Inputs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sign Type ◽  
Interior Environments

The second issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding is dedicated to the topic of visibility. As simply put by the Texas Transportation Institute: Seeing the road and everything around it while driving is not a preferred option, rather it is an essential component of safe driving. Driving is a visual activity, and as we make our way down a road, we all look at a wide range of visual inputs—the roadway, the surrounding terrain, other vehicles, roadside buildings and advertisements and traffic control devices such as signs, markings, and signals—to help us get where we are going. How we distinguish those visual inputs and maneuver the vehicle safely varies from person to person and can depend on quite a number of random, uncontrollable things—the weather, time of day, driver age, health and experience, as well as unexpected distractions inside or outside the vehicle—all can have an effect.https://tti.tamu.edu/group/visibility/, last visited 6/12/17. As businesses know, their businesses must be visible to be viable. Clear signage enhances their visibility in the marketplace. Regardless of sign type or intended audience, being able to see and read the message on a sign is critical. In this issue of the International Journal of Signage and Wayfinding, Bullough explores the literature on visibility as it relates to the conspicuity and legibility of signage. This article provides contexts for what we know about the typographic and symbolic characteristics of signs, as well as the environments in which they are placed. Pedestrians rely on signs to help them navigate exterior and interior environments. Apardian and Alum demonstrate the importance of different high-visibility pedestrian warning signs at midblock crossings for pedestrian safety. Symonds explores the importance of clear wayfinding strategies inside airports while Ward and his students provides an analysis of the critical wayfinding elements on college campuses. Visibility is also critical for motorists as they traverse US roadways. Auffrey and Hilderbrant provide an accounting of the lost opportunities of those businesses whose signs cannot be viewed by passersby. Utilizing 3M’s Visual Analysis Software, the researchers demonstrate the average probability that a sign is being viewed by motorists and make recommendations for improving visibility.  

Field Study of Driver’s Curve-Detection Performance in Daytime and Nighttime

2001 ◽  
Vol 1779 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Hagiwara ◽  
Kento Suzuki ◽  
Roberto A. Tokunaga ◽  
Naoki Yorozu ◽  
Motoki Asano
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Detection Performance ◽  
Detection Distance ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
The Road ◽  
Curve Detection ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices

Effects of road scenes and traffic-control devices on driver’s curve-detection performance were investigated. Field experiments were conducted on a 19-km section of highway running through a hilly area in Hokkaido, Japan. The driver obtained directional information from the road scene ahead and traffic-control devices at the beginning of the target curve. Road scene characteristics were determined subjectively. Configurations of traffic-control devices at 32 curves were obtained from the road maintenance database and were measured on site for each curve. Each of the 17 participating subjects drove an instrument-equipped vehicle and pressed a button as soon as he or she recognized the direction of the target curve. Detection distance of each curve was measured. The experimenter determined the maximum detection distance (MDD) of each target curve. A curve-detection index, defined as the detection distance divided by the MDD, was used to compare detection performance for each curve. Characteristics of detection performance for the curves were determined by a cluster analysis and regression analysis. Curves were classified into five groups according to the results of the cluster analysis. Results of the within-subject regression analysis revealed that subjects driving in the daytime obtained directional information about the curve from the road scene, whereas in the nighttime the lighting midway through the curve had a greater effect on detection performance. Results indicate that visual cues should be considered when traffic-control devices are installed at a curve, and appropriate traffic-control devices should be selected to increase the detection performance of a curve.

Guidelines for Identification of Hazardous Highway Curves

2000 ◽  
Vol 1717 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhagwant Persaud ◽  
Richard A. Retting ◽  
Craig Lyon
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Empirical Bayes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Potential Treatment ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
The U.S

Curve-warning treatment can be extremely cost-effective because of the low cost of treatments, such as curve warning signs or markings, and the potentially large number of target crashes. However, measures are needed to identify and prioritize treatment of potentially hazardous rural curves. An empirical Bayes-based procedure is presented for prioritizing potential treatment sites on the basis of crashes that may be classified as occurring because of the presence of curves. The attractiveness of the procedure is enhanced by the fact that the data and calculations are also a part of the evaluation of treatment that may be applied to sites identified. Alternative levels of the procedure can be selected, depending on the data available. Ontario data were used to calibrate supporting models. It is hoped that experience gained from using the guidelines can lead to the development of procedures that can be incorporated into the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

Work Zone Traffic Accidents Involving Traffic Control Devices, Safety Features, and Construction Operations

1998 ◽  
Vol 1650 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Bryden ◽  
Laurel B. Andrew ◽  
Jan S. Fortuniewicz
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
New York State ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
York State Department ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
Safety Features

There were 496 work zone traffic accidents on New York State Department of Transportation construction projects from 1994 through 1996. These accidents involved impacts with work zone traffic control devices and safety features; construction features, such as pavement bumps and joints; drainage features; excavations and materials; and construction vehicles, equipment, and workers. These items, which include all of the features introduced into the roadway environment by construction activity, represent one-third of all work zone accidents and 37 percent of those involving serious injury. Channelizing devices, arrow panels, signs, and other traffic control devices generally resulted in little harm when impacted. Impact attenuators, both fixed and truck mounted, also performed well. Although portable concrete barriers prevent vehicle intrusions, impacts with barrier are severe events. Barriers must be properly designed and limited to only those locations where they are needed to protect more serious hazards. Construction vehicles, equipment, and workers were involved in over 20 percent of all work zone accidents, resulting in serious injuries. Although intrusions by private vehicles into work spaces are a serious concern, construction vehicles, equipment, and workers in open travel lanes are also a serious concern. Good design of work zone traffic control plans, combined with adequate training and supervision of workers, is essential to control both concerns.

Modeling the Risk of Wrong-Way Driving Entry at the Exit Ramp Terminals of Full Diamond Interchanges

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (17) ◽  
pp. 35-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Atiquzzaman ◽  
Huaguo Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Initial Point ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
Diamond Interchanges ◽  
Transportation Agencies ◽  
Exit Ramp

Wrong-way driving (WWD) crashes are a critical safety issue on freeways. Although these crashes are rare and random in nature, they often result in severe injuries and/or fatalities. Typically, exit ramp terminals are the initial point of entry for wrong-way (WW) drivers on freeways. Therefore, it is important for transportation agencies to identify the exit ramp terminals with higher possibility of WW entries and apply safety countermeasures to reduce the chances of their occurrence. However, the random nature of WWD crashes and the difficulty in identifying the actual entry points makes it hard for transportation agencies to assess the risk of WWD at a particular exit ramp terminal and apply countermeasures accordingly. This study developed mathematical models for predicting the risk of WW entries at the exit ramp terminals of full diamond interchanges. The geometric design features, usage of traffic control devices, area type where the interchanges are located, and annual average daily traffic (AADT) at the exit ramp terminals with or without history of WWD were used as potential predictors of WW entry. Transportation agencies can use these models to assess the risk of WW entries at the exit ramp terminals within their jurisdictions and consider possible countermeasures. They also can be applied during the design phase to determine the combination of geometric design features and traffic control devices that ensures the least possibility of WW entry.

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