Visibility

Driving down the highway, it's easy to take the scenery—the cornfields, the trees, even the road signs—for granted. Often we only notice the center stripe when deciding whether it's safe to pass the car in front of us. Missing a sign—say, for a turn-off you wanted to take—can be annoying, forcing you to waste time and burn gasoline unnecessarily. More importantly, missing signs can compromise safety, especially at night, when drivers are likely more fatigued and visibility is much more limited.

Researchers are always working on numerous projects to improve the visibility and usability of road signs at night. From how reflective the sign materials are to how easily the signs are read to how driver behavior is affected by specific types of signs, these projects address the fundamental question of how to improve driver safety at night by enhancing the effectiveness of road signs.

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