A questionnaire survey was carried out to discover the effect of special signs on drivers' in-vehicle listening habits. The signs gave local radio station frequencies and their effect was measured on a representative sample of motorists travelling through kent and berkshire. Signs were located on motorways and on some motorway approach roads. Interviews were conducted at convenient points, usually motorway service areas, downstream of the sign sites both before and after the signs were installed. It was found that the proportion of motorists who listened to the relevant local station increased by about 5 per cent after the signs had been installed. This change was statistically highly significant, and is attributed to the influence of the signs which encouraged, in total, 17 per cent of those interviewed to attempt to re-tune their receivers. However, fewer than a half were able to find the right station. For approximately one-third of drivers the information on the signs was probably difficult to utilise because their receivers were neither marked in khz nor had the facility to receive vhf. There was a definite trend towards khz markings and vhf reception in newer car radios. Altogether, 86 per cent of vehicles surveyed were equipped with working radios. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting