Texas driver comprehension of abbreviations for changeable message signs

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Date

1999

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Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas A&M University

Abstract

The research conducted for this thesis was done as part of an ongoing research project by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the evaluation of changeable message sign (CMS) use in Texas. This portion of the research focused on determining motorist understanding of abbreviations for use on CMSs. The study was conducted at six locations in Texas: Austin, Dallas, E1 Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. At each of these locations, 50 participants were recruited at local Department of Public Safety offices, which made for a total of 300 participants in the study. The participants were asked to complete a survey where they were provided with a list of abbreviated words/phrases and were asked to interpret what the full words/phrases were. From the results, word/phrase abbreviations were identified that were understood by 85 percent or greater of the study participants and were recommended for use on CMSs in Texas. Any abbreviated word/phrase that was understood by less than 85 percent of the participants was not recommended for use in Texas. Study location differences in participant understanding were also identified to determine if words/phrases were appropriate for use on CMSs only in certain study locations.

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Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-49).
Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.

Keywords

civil engineering., Major civil engineering.

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