Enhancing variable message sign design policy in Malaysia through a stated driver preference survey

Variable Message Signs (VMS) play a critical role in communicating real-time information to drivers. In Malaysia, while VMS design guidelines exist, they are largely adapted from international standards, written for English language displays, and do not account for legibility, driver feedback or field validation. Moreover, significant variability exists in VMS display characteristics among in-use VMS across Malaysia. To address these gaps, this study conducted a structured survey involving expressway drivers in Malaysia to evaluate preferences for key VMS display characteristics, including character height, character width, spacing between characters, word spacing, line spacing, and colour. Drivers were presented with multiple scaled-down VMS configurations on a screen and asked to indicate their preference for each feature. The findings revealed that the current VMS design practices in Malaysia do not fully align with driver preferences. Drivers generally preferred greater height and width of characters than current site averages or what is currently recommended in Malaysian guidelines. Drivers also favoured narrower spacing between characters and lines than current design guidelines. Recommendations were also developed for key design features such as word spacing and text colour, which are currently not explicitly addressed in existing Malaysian VMS guidelines. This study offers evidence-based recommendations to revise and strengthen Malaysian VMS guidelines, ensuring improved legibility, comprehension, and ultimately, safer driving conditions.