How effective is training for improving traffic sign comprehension? Examining the interaction between training and sign type among motorcyclists

Traffic sign comprehension among motorcyclists: the effect of sign display and sign type

“…In both symbol+text and symbol-only conditions, the highest sign comprehension level was found in the regulatory sign, while the lowest was found in the warning sign. The symbol in 1294 (2024) 012009 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1294/1/012009 9 the warning sign was considered more abstract and less familiar than other signs, so the riders need more effort to comprehend the warning signs [28,29]. Complex and unfamiliar symbol could cause confusion to the riders because there is no prior knowledge in their memory that could help the riders to comprehend the meaning of the symbol on the sign.…”

“…Fourth, previous studies measured sign comprehension in different ways. For example, few studies used sign comprehension time [18], level [11,[26][27][28][29]32], and both [16,17]. In the current study, sign comprehension would be measured by both sign comprehension time and level so that the speed and accuracy in comprehending the sign could be seen comprehensively.…”

“…There are a few modifications from the previous studies. First, previous studies used different road users as participants, for example, Koyuncu and Amado [18] used general road users, while Shinar and Vogelzang [16] and Wontorczyk and Gaca [31] used car or professional drivers, and Maulina et al [17,29,32] focused on motorcyclists. This current research would be focused on motorcyclists, as they have the highest accident rate in Indonesia.…”

“…The inconsistent results from the previous studies showed that the effect of sign type on sign comprehension is still inconclusive. Such discrepant results could be due to the different sign display that was used by those studies [11,[26][27][28][29]31]. Therefore, the current study aimed to further examine the interaction of sign display and sign type in affecting sign comprehension.…”

“…For example, Al-Madani and Al-Janahi's [27] study among UEA drivers and Yuan and colleagues' [28] studies among drivers in China found that the warning signs were only answered correctly by half of the participants. Another study by Maulina et al [29] also found that warning signs were less comprehended than regulatory and command signs among Indonesian motorcyclists. Furthermore, this study proved that sign comprehension training is effective for improving sign comprehension among motorcyclists, especially for warning signs.…”