01552326

Component

A research study was performed to examine signing strategies for a low clearance condition that may not be immediately visible to drivers, such as can occur when a low bridge is hidden behind a nearer, higher bridge that is within view of the driver. Phase I of the study tested eight innovative warning sign designs. Based on the results of Phase 1 and feedback from Texas Department of Transportation engineers, a revised set of warning sign designs was developed and tested with 48 commercial drivers using a desktop driving simulator. The simulator study tested drivers’ responses to seven warning signs, including their decisions to exit or enter the highway based on the vertical clearance shown on the signs. Participants were also asked the distance to the low clearance point and whether the exit immediately downstream from the warning sign was the last opportunity to exit prior to the low clearance. The study results indicated that adding supplementary information to the low clearance warning sign prescribed by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) may improve driver comprehension and encourage more drivers to exit when necessary even if they cannot see the low clearance point ahead.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AND20 User Information Systems.

01550057

15-3343

English

14p

2015

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References (5) ; Tables

Bridges; Commercial drivers; Reaction time; Traffic signs; Underpasses; Warning signs

Texas

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-3343

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 1:07PM