Staff members for the U.S. House of Representatives' Science and Technology Committee recently have questioned the value of dynamic message signs (DMS), given the dubious accuracy of the information they display. In researching this issue, the author of this feature discovered that not only isthe accuracy of DMS messages unknown, but no efforts currently are underway to measure DMS accuracy. In addition, few (if any) states evaluate staff performance based on the accuracy of the information being disseminated. Evaluating DMS message accuracy would be a difficult undertaking, and reliable information related to roadway and traffic conditions would be required to make the assessment. One way to gauge and improve DMS accuracy would be to add a notice to the DMS asking the public to notify the trafficoperations center if they see an error in the message displayed. This would demonstrate to the public that the agency cares about accuracy while helping the agency improve its oversight and justify its investment in the signs.
Abstract