Abstract
This research documents the evaluation of teenage graphics. drivers with regards to their understanding of 53 traffic control devices. A multiple choice survey was developed and administered to a group of teenage drivers between 15 and 18 years of age, both before and after a driver education course. The initial survey, or pre-test, assessed teenagers' knowledge without any formal driving training and before the driver education course. The post-test was administered to the same participants after the completion of the driver education program. The objectives of this study were to assess the current teenage driver understanding of selected traffic control devices in use in Texas and to identify the devices that are continually misunderstood after driver education. The traffic control devices evaluated in the study included six sign shape/color combinations, eight regulatory signs, 14 warning signs, seven railroad, school zone, and construction signs, seven pavement markings, and 11 signal indications. A total of 260 teenage drivers participated in the pre-test and 172 in the post-test. In terms of correct response rates, the results identified traffic control devices which were found to be understood at different levels: desirable, less than desirable, and less than adequate. In general, the comprehension level of the traffic control devices evaluated in this study was found to be less than desirable (correct response rates less than 85 percents; however, the results indicated that there was a significant increase in mean correct response rate after driver education. Recommendations include the addition of devices to the Texas Drivers Handbook and/or an increased emphasis on the correct meaning of traffic control devices in the driver education curriculum.
Ford, Garry Lee (1999). Evaluation of teenage driver understanding of traffic control devices. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1999 -THESIS -F67.