Get the message?

When it comes to highway safety, displaying the right message is central to understanding the science behind influencing driver behavior.

To that end, ITD is studying what messages work best for Idaho’s overhead electronic message boards installed along state highways.

Early findings indicate that drivers consistently respond to two messages:

“YOUR FAMILY WOULD / MISS YOU / PLEASE SLOW DOWN”

“YOU WOULD BE / MISSED / PLEASE SLOW DOWN”

Officials will test other messages in May and still others this summer on selected readerboards, referred to as dynamic message signs (DMSs).

Messages run for one day at a time in multiple locations around the state, with information on driver response collected by Idaho State Police (ISP) and by ITD’s Automatic Traffic Recorders (ATRs).

For example, during the first phase of testing, ISP crews monitored and collected real-time motorist speed, while ATRs captured similar information. Data analysis paints a picture of how driver behavior changes (or possibly doesn’t) in response to messages posted on DMSs.

“We are developing safety messages to motivate drivers not to engage in dangerous behavior such as speeding,” said Brent Jennings, manager of the Office of Highway Safety, which is conducting the study.

The goal of the project is to design and evaluate safety messages based on proven psychological theory of behavior change. Jennings is working with a team from University of California, San Diego.

Similar initiatives have led to more effective safety-message design around the country, Jennings said.

He expressed appreciation to ITD’s partners at ISP and to other state officials – Phil Braun, Chris Loffer, Margaret Pridmore, Glenda Fuller – who are lending their expertise to the effort. He also thanked officials in ITD districts for their help with the study.

The DMS Messaging Research Project will be completed this year, with proven messages available for incorporation into ITD’s messaging system.

As part of ITD’s ongoing safety program to better inform the traveling public, DMSs have traditionally posted messages on road conditions, traffic flow and AMBER Alerts. Electronic messages are designed to improve traffic safety and emergency response.

The structure of DMSs includes a concrete foundation, pole and cantilever structure, communications cabinet, protective guardrail and the message board, which is 8-feet-tall by 25-feet-wide by 4-feet-deep and weighs 4,000 pounds. Fitted with economical light-emitting diodes (LED) lights, the board displays 18-inch-tall, amber characters, which are legible at 1,100 feet.

Published 03-27-15