The article holds that motorists receive 90% of their road information from signs and signals, and when these cannot be seen at night, motorists are at risk. Many signs and markings are old, obstructed, or covered with pollution and graffiti, and have lost their reflectivity. The consequences of poor signs and markings are great. It is estimated that about 20% of all the accidents occur because the signs have not received enough attention. It is noted that traffic sign upgrading is the lowest cost highway safety improvement with the highest benefit. Effort is underway to address this issue. A set of national performance standards for traffic control devices is being developed by the federal highway administration to institute minimum levels of retro-reflectfivity of signs and markings. sign size, the colors of signs, and the problems of construction sites are also areas of concern. Subjective and objective approaches to judging sign effectiveness are described and a blend of both approaches is recommended. potential obstacles to the passage of effective standards are discussed. the expense of correcting the nationwide problem is also discussed.
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