Driver’s Visual Attention in Response to Message Type: Creative versus Traditional Dynamic Message Signs

This paper focuses on Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) as crucial traffic control devices, providing drivers with real-time traffic infor-mation. With a view to better communication, some state transpor-tation agencies have started using nontraditional messages on DMS to influence driver visual attention. However, there is a lack of sci-entific evidence supporting their effectiveness. This research aims to investigate how message type (traditional vs. creative) impacts driver visual attention, considering individual differences and contextual factors such as age, gender, time of day, and traffic density. Statistical analyses revealed that drivers notice traditional signs faster but look at creative signs longer, regardless of the number of words in the sign. Age and gender also play a role in visual attention, with older participants taking slightly longer to notice DMS. In comparison, middle-aged individuals tend to examine traditional messages more thoroughly than younger participants, paying attention to creative signs. Furthermore, driving conditions have an impact on visual attention, with night driving resulting in longer noticing times and shorter dwell times compared to daytime driving. In low-density traffic conditions, drivers have longer gaze durations on signs, while the time-to-notice remains consistent across traffic densities. Drivers notice traditional messages faster in low-density traffic but spend less time looking at them compared to creative messages in high-density traffic. Notably, the most common sign that was correctly recalled was a creative sign, supporting the notion that they were particularly attention-grabbing with lasting cognitive effects. Our findings suggest that creative DMS, regardless of word length, are potent in drawing driver’s’ attention compared to traditional signs.