In this study, driver responses to alternative lane shift and lane merge signs are analyzed and compared using a driving simulation system. In particular, driver responses to the lane merge signs proposed by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are compared to the current lane merge signs recommended by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and driver responses to the lane shift signs proposed by MoDOT are compared to current lane shift signs recommended by MUTCD. The driving simulation system is composed of a driving simulator and a PC with data recording program such that the position coordinates, speed, braking amount, and steering amount are recorded each second. For lane merge signs, four scenarios are simulated: two with MUTCD (left merge and right merge) sign configurations and two with MoDOT (left merge and right merge) sign configurations. For lane shift signs, two driving scenarios are simulated: one with MUTCD lane shift sign configuration and the other with the MoDOT lane shift sign configuration. 75 participants with varying demographic characteristics drove on the four lane merge sign configuration scenarios and different 75 participants with varying demographic characteristics drove on the two lane shift sign configuration scenarios. The data collected is analyzed with statistical data analysis tools. The results of the analysis show that while each individual driving group has similar responses to the alternative sign configurations, there are significant differences among the driving groups\u27 responses to the individual sign configurations. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of the driving simulation system for analyzing driving patterns --Abstract, page iii
