Modeling the Influence of Drivers’ Personal and Driving Characteristics on Traffic Sign Comprehension

This study investigates the factors that influence drivers’ understanding of the 30 Traffic Signs (TSs) encountered on the street network of Al-Najaf governorate, Iraq. A random sampling survey using a structured questionnaire was carried out to interview a sample of 450 drivers. The questionnaire was designed to collect data regarding drivers’ personal and driving characteristics along with their TS understanding. The descriptive analysis revealed that the drivers’ comprehension level of regulatory, warning, and information TSs reached 57.5%, 53.4%, and 65%, respectively. In the predictive analysis, the IBM SPSS version 28 was utilized along with two multinomial logistic regression models to identify the investigated factors. The results indicate that drivers' TS comprehension is substantially affected by personal traits, such as age, gender, and previous TS knowledge, whereas driving experience, traffic violation history, and driver’s attention to TSs while driving are contributing driving characteristics. These findings stress the necessity for the development of educational schemes and training initiatives aiming to increase drivers’ TS understanding.