Effects of driver behavior and road sign design features on road sign comprehension: an international study

Road traffic signs are tools to maintain safety and efficiency on the road, and their effectiveness may depend on whether the drivers are domestic or international. This research investigates the effects of driver nationality and some other demographic traits (e.g., English proficiency levels and driving experience) on driver comprehension of U.S. road signs with drivers from three English-speaking countries (the United States, the UK, and India).

An online questionnaire was developed and used to collect participants' responses to three driver tasks: driver road sign comprehension, road sign design features rankings, and Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ).

The results show that nationality influences driver behavior, and the types of road signs can affect driver comprehension of them. Two of the sign design features (concreteness and familiarity), and one of the two DBQ components (Mistake) also impact the comprehension of road signs. The level of English proficiency also significantly affects the preference rankings of sign design features.