Monday, July 5, 2010

Universal Traffic Signal for Colorblind Drivers

Last year we discussed a solution in Nova Scotia that aided colorblind drivers with Shaped Signal Heads (square, diamond, circle). I recently ran across various blog posts about another shaped traffic signal.

The UNISignal, which at this point seems to be only a concept, is currently designed to use a Triangle (Red), Circle (Amber/Yellow), and Square (Green) to add information to the signal for those of us with color deficiencies.

It seems like a pretty decent idea, and it could be especially helpful for those pesky horizontally-installed signals (I'm looking at you, Texas). However, I'm not sure about the symbols themselves. It seems that the triangle might be a better fit for the green indication (as it seems to be pointing up).

The official site, www.unisignal.com, is apparently only a placeholder. We'll have to wait to find out if the UNISignal has legs.

So what do you think? Is it time for shaped signal heads? Is it the answer? Is it solving a real problem, or just a perception?