The Effectiveness and Safety of Traffic and Non-Traffic Related Messages Presented on Changeable Message Signs - Phase II

This report describes Phase II of an investigation into the effectiveness and safety of traffic-related messages presented on changeable message sign (CMS) displays. In this phase of the study, two target-message experiments directly comparable to the Phase I experiments were shown to three groups of drivers, who had been separated by age, while they were driving a P-C based STISIM driving simulator. The researchers also collected real-life data from I-35W and 73rd Street when CMS messages were deployed and visited Mn/DOT's Regional Transportation Management Center. The results of this research showed that clarifying and reducing the complexity of CMS messages was beneficial.