A Driving Simulator Study Evaluating Traffic Sign Mounting Height for Preventing Wrong-Way Driving

Wrong-way driving crashes only account for a small portion of the crashes throughout the United States; however, the head-on nature of these crashes is often considered to be more severe. The majority of fatal wrong-way crashes between 2004 and 2011 in the U.S. were caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol. The use of lower mounted wrong-way driving sign has shown to be a promising countermeasure. This study used a driving simulator to determine the effectiveness on impaired drivers of 3-foot mounted signs compared to the more-common practice of 7-foot mounted signs. It was found that, for potential wrong-way left turns, the 3-foot signs improved the drivers’ reaction time by 21% (0.888 sec.) and reduced the likelihood of the driver missing the sign from 19% to 3%. However, there was no significant difference for potential wrong-way right turns. Statistical analysis also showed that drivers were significantly more likely to miss wrong-way signs when making right turns.