摘要：Warning signs are effective only when users clearly understand their meaning. Three experiments were conducted in this study. In the first, the perception accuracy of warning signs was tested. This study investigated the role of age, gender, education background, and years of license in drivers’ comprehension of warning signs. The populations sampled were from Nanjing city in China. A total of 12 symbolic warning signs were investigated. A questionnaire prepared to collect the data was distributed to 550 drivers. The results showed that age, gender, and driving years have no significant influence on the sign comprehension. However, the divers with higher education background present better comprehension to warning signs than those with lower education background. In the second experiment, these signs of comprehension score less than 67% in the first experiment were screened and analyzed the cause of wrong responses using semantic analysis frequency distribution method. Using the semantic analysis method, the perception errors are researched by the four features, namely, meaningfulness, recognition, simplicity, and symbol design. In the third, improvement design of warning signs was provided. Lastly, through scheme comparison and the perception of warning signs, reasonable and improved warning signs are determined to better play management and service functions.
