Traffic control device evaluation program: simulator evaluation of sponsored changeable message signs and in-situ evaluation of rumble strip alternatives.

Pike, Adam M.; Higgins, Laura L.; Ko, Myunghoon; Miles, Jeff; Nelson, Alicia A.; Carlson, Paul J.; Chrysler, Susan T.; Park, Eun Sug · 2016 · ROSA P / Texas A&M Transportation Institute

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Summary

This report details two research activities conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute for the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The primary study evaluated the potential distraction caused by adding commercial sponsor logos to Changeable Message Signs (CMS), a practice currently prohibited by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices but permitted for experimental testing. The secondary study assessed the effectiveness of various rumble strip alternatives installed on Texas roadways. The CMS evaluation utilized a driving simulator with 42 participants divided into young (19–35) and older (60+) age groups. Researchers tested 25 sign treatments, including travel time, warning, and safety campaign messages, presented with no logo, one logo, or two logos. The experimental design incorporated secondary tasks, such as lane changes and speed limit compliance, to measure driver workload. Data collection included eye-tracking metrics (gaze duration, last look distance), driving performance (speed compliance, lane maintenance), and post-drive recall questions. The rumble strip evaluation involved in-situ testing where vehicles were instrumented with sound level meters and accelerometers to measure interior and exterior noise and vibration across various speeds and roadway conditions. Regarding the CMS study, the text outlines the methodology and data collection procedures but does not provide the specific statistical results or conclusions in the provided excerpt. The report documents the experimental setup, including the use of mixed-effects ANOVA and logistic regression models to analyze lane offset, encroachment, speed compliance, and eye-tracking data. For the rumble strip study, the report presents detailed findings on sound and vibration levels for specific test sites in the Atlanta and Austin districts, comparing different profile markings and audible designs against control conditions. The significance of this work lies in providing empirical data to inform transportation policy regarding sponsored signage and the selection of effective rumble strip technologies for safety applications.

Key finding

The study presents comprehensive data on driver gaze patterns and driving performance relative to sponsored CMS logos and quantifies the sound and vibration levels of various rumble strip alternatives.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 42

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• perceptual countermeasures
• signage environment
• external distraction
• sign visibility legibility

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: validation psychometrics