Vargas, C. , Moreno Rios, S. & Castro, C.
University of Granada. SPAIN
The frequency of a traffic sign could alter the difficulty of interpreting the situations referred to by the sign. Different traffic signs can be used at a T-junction to indicate that the road on the right is allowed: obligatory right, prohibitory left or both. Firstly, a right turn is referred and the “no left turn” is inferred. The opposite happens when signalling with a prohibitory left a right turn. This study test how we evaluate traffic scenarios under time pressure, where a car is shown in the situation signalled or in the inferred one. The frequency of presentation of prohibitory and obligatory signs was manipulated. When the signs were shown with a same frequency, responses to the referred situations were faster and more accurate, but the negative effect was found in the inferred situation. However, when the more frequent sign was shown, responses to the referred situations were faster and more accurate, and the negative effect was greater in the inferred situation. For example, when the obligatory signs were more frequent, the highest number of errors was found for the prohibitory left sign when a car was taking the right turn. Safety driving implications and suggestions will be further discussed.