red lights are flashing” is more likely to influence driver behavior because it is easier to read and easier to understand. Tis redesign places it in the most prominent location with the best visibility in traffic, and rather than make a statement about the illegality of passing, it issues a directive. I included a prototype of the redesigned messaging as it would
appear on a school bus in my eye-tracking study. Te results show that attention is being more effectively focused on the key message areas. Tis means that drivers will be able to understand the behaviors that are expected of them. Tis improved design could even drive automatic behavior, much like we see when drivers approach a red light. Tey simply stop. Tey don’t have to consciously decide to stop, they do it automatically. We need to help drivers develop the same automatic behavior when they approach a school bus that is letting passengers off. More research is certainly warranted; there may be an even
more effective design, and live testing of actual prototypes in traffic should produce reduced incidents of stop-arm violation in order for a design to be considered successful. Unfortunate- ly, there are some drivers who willfully ignore the law and pass
school buses intentionally. Improved safety messaging will prob- ably not help these people to change their behavior. And it won’t help a driver who is texting and doesn’t even see the bus. But if it will help reduce incidents of illegal passing, then it will re- duce risk and it may even reduce the number of children who are taken away each year when getting off a school bus, and that certainly makes it a worthwhile investment. Attention is a precious resource. We have a relatively narrow
focus of attention, and guiding it appropriately through informed design typically produces better results. School bus safety mark- ings that are designed to work with the biological and cognitive aspects of perception can manage attention naturally and in- crease the likelihood of better driver compliance and reduced risk for our passengers. ■
Shmuel Bollen is a senior user experience designer with ACI World- wide in Waltham, Mass. He presented his school bus research findings and recommendations during a general session at the 19th Annual STN EXPO in Reno, Nev. A PowerPoint is available for download at
www.stnonline.com/go/909.
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www.transtechbus.com 44 School Transportation News Magazine October 2012 See Us At Booth # 111
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