Side-by-side comparison of “Highway Gothic” and Clearview typefaces ( Meeker & Associates )įurthermore, the human brain recognizes words by remembering what the whole word looks like – not the individual letters.
#CLEARVIEW FONT HIGHWAY DRIVERS#
This blurring of letters is called halation, and is especially problematic for elderly drivers whose eyesight is deteriorating.įor this reason Clearview uses letters that are intentionally spaced and shaped to mitigate halation, as seen below. But when headlights shine off of highly reflective roadway signs, the chubby letters of Highway Gothic’s thicker font can sometimes appear to be a glowing glob of indistinguishable letters.
When Highway Gothic was designed, the objective was to have big, bold letters that could be seen from a distance individually. Clearview had a brief stint as the only other accepted highway font for about a decade before the federal government informed states they could no longer use it for new signs.Ĭlearview is found to be more readily visible, especially for elderly drivers, for two reasons: design and the human brain. Since then, researchers developed another font, Clearview, which is designed to be more visible from a distance. This is the same font that has been used almost exclusively since it was developed in the World War II era. This summer, Congress is wrestling with the prospect of an as-yet unseen trillion-dollar infrastructure package, a contentious battle over privatizing air traffic control, partisan divisions over motor vehicle standards for emerging technologies, and – you guessed it – changing the font of highway signs.Ĭurrently, states and localities can choose whatever font they want for their signs… as long as it’s Highway Gothic. At least we'll be able to see it coming.If nothing else, 2017 is a blockbuster year for transportation policy – that is, assuming you like to watch low budget reboots of old thrillers in slow motion. But as old signs deteriorate and are replaced, Clearview will be phased off of American roads. As it stands, the country's signs are a combination of Clearview and Highway Gothic, with some instances of cities changing to Clearview while the state stuck with Highway Gothic.
#CLEARVIEW FONT HIGHWAY LICENSE#
The FHWA also suggested that Clearview may be harder to read on Street Name signs.Īs City Lab points out, switching to Clearview requires municipalities to purchase a standard license for the font-$175 for one font and up to $795 for the entire typeface family of 13 fonts-so cost might be a factor in the FHWA's decision.
ClearviewHwyīut a spokesperson told City Lab that more research in the past decade has led the FHWA to decide that the Clearview font is less legible than Highway Gothic on signs with "negative-contrast color orientations," including Speed Limit and Warning signs that have black font on either a white or yellow background. The test was conducted at 45 mph, which means drivers had 1.2 seconds longer to read the signs with Clearview font.Ī comparison of Highway Gothic on the left and Clearview on the right. Studies conducted by the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute and the Texas Transportation Institute found that drivers could read Clearview as much as 80 feet farther away than they could read Highway Gothic, which was developed in the 1940s.
This means that any new signs must use Highway Gothic again, though existing signs with Clearview do not need to be replaced as long as they are in good condition.Īmong some circles, this decision represents a major lapse in judgement. That "Interim Approval" of Clearview was suddenly terminated on Monday, according to a notice posted on the Federal Register by the FHWA. Studies suggested that Clearview was easier to read than Highway Gothic, especially in the dark, and about 30 states updated their highway signs as a result. In 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced its " Interim Approval for Use of Clearview Font for Positive Contrast Legends on Guide Signs," allowing states to change the prevailing font on road signs, Highway Gothic, to a font called Clearview if they chose.
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