Fading Model of Drivers' Short-Term Memory of Traffic Signs

To reveal the change regularity of drivers' memory on traffic sign information over time, fading model of drivers' short-term memory was established. Based on fading factors and the shape of fading curve, power function was employed in describing fading trend of drivers’ short-term memory. A typical route was chose in urban road network, and a car was employed to do the experiment. Based on theory of psychology and memory, the impact of traffic sign information on drivers’ short-term memory was studied, and the fading model of drivers’ memory for traffic signs information was established. The paper verified Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve and proposed new parameters for drivers of different age/driving age and gender. Finally, the fading model was applied into the designing and layout of traffic sign in an intersection.