Motorist direction-finding aids : recovery from freeway exiting errors : final report
Publication details: Washington DC : U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, 1984Description: 60 sSubject(s): Online resources: Abstract: Two controlled field experiments were conducted to investigate driver directionfinding performance following a missed exit error on a freeway. A total of 118 male and female subjects was observed as they attempted to navigate to a preassigned destination after an induced error. The effectiveness of road maps, an interactive phone information center, and a schematic map generated by a simulated computerized information center were studied. Unaided subjects were observed to have considerable difficulty in recovering from the missed exit error. Use of road maps increased route-finding efficiency. However, a significant proportion of the subjects could not or would not use available maps. The more sophisticated navigational aids were the most effective in improving direction-finding performance. Subjects using the schematic map from the computerized information center performed the best. A severe motorist direction-finding problem exists and additional studies are required to identify practical solutions that can be implemented on a wide scale. It is also concluded that improved motorist direction-finding is a major means to conserve fuel.Two controlled field experiments were conducted to investigate driver directionfinding performance following a missed exit error on a freeway. A total of 118 male and female subjects was observed as they attempted to navigate to a preassigned destination after an induced error. The effectiveness of road maps, an interactive phone information center, and a schematic map generated by a simulated computerized information center were studied. Unaided subjects were observed to have considerable difficulty in recovering from the missed exit error. Use of road maps increased route-finding efficiency. However, a significant proportion of the subjects could not or would not use available maps. The more sophisticated navigational aids were the most effective in improving direction-finding performance. Subjects using the schematic map from the computerized information center performed the best. A severe motorist direction-finding problem exists and additional studies are required to identify practical solutions that can be implemented on a wide scale. It is also concluded that improved motorist direction-finding is a major means to conserve fuel.