The possible safety benefits of enhanced road markings: A driving simulator evaluation

A comparison of the relative effectiveness under simulated wet night driving conditions of an enhanced road-marking system with commonly used highway markings was undertaken. Participants completed drives with both types of markings. A secondary mental arithmetic task was also employed in half of the conditions. Both objective and subjective data were collected. The results indicated that participants were better able to maintain lane position and speed with the enhanced markings than with the standard markings. A similar pattern was found for the subjective measures: workload was rated as lower for the enhanced markings; likewise, subjects reported the drives as being easier and were more confident in being able to drive safely when the roads displayed the enhanced markings. These findings point to a potential safety benefit from greater use of such enhanced roadway markings.