The older persons warning sign and its effect on driver behaviour

Abstract

Road signs are there to inform or warn drivers and help drivers to select appropriate speeds and be appropriately aware for hazards. The “older person” warning sign is used in many countries, placed near older people’s homes and schools, to warn drivers of potentially vulnerable older pedestrians in the vicinity. The sign often depicts a silhouette of an older couple hunched over within a warning triangle and is a rather negative stereotype of older people. It is questionable whether this sign is useful in slowing drivers down, especially given the potential of the sign to reinforce negative stereotypes. This study used a Driving Simulator to determine whether the “older person” warning sign makes any useful difference to driver behaviour. Drivers were randomly allocated into a group that observed a “older person” warning sign (n = 20) and a group that saw a generic pedestrian warning sign (n = 20). The drivers in the “older person” warning sign group did not alter their speed or braking when observing the sign, regardless of age and gender. The drivers in the pedestrian warning sign group did significantly reduce their speed and used braking when seeing the sign. The “older person” warning sign made no difference to significant driver behaviour and it is suggested it should be removed or replaced by the pedestrian sign.