Research: Better fonts may prevent collisions

According to a new study, "the right typefaces can make a difference in reducing the amount of time not focused on the road, and therefore, gets us closer to our goal of improving driver safety," said Bryan Reimer, a researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab.

MIT, the New England University Transportation Center, and Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. conducted studies to determine whether different typefaces could reduce driver distraction.

"With more and more in-vehicle screens and devices at drivers' fingertips comes increased potential for distraction while driving," according to a blog on the American Society of Safety Engineers' website. "The results indicate a consistent 10 percent reduction among men in glance time -- the time looking away from the road." The difference observed in women was smaller.

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"This difference in glance time represents approximately 50 feet in distance when traveling at U.S. highway speed," said David Gould, Monotype's director of product marketing and part of the research team.

The researchers said the research should be a call to action to the auto industry and their suppliers "to recognize that typeface style can represent a critical element of the driving experience."

Read more at the WorkersComp Forum homepage.

December 10, 2012

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