title: Signs as deterrents of illegal parking in spaces designated for individuals with physical disabilities.
abstract: The percentage of illegal parking in spaces reserved for the physically disabled was monitored under three sign conditions: ground markings, ground markings plus vertical signs, and vertical signs containing a message that concerned citizens were watching the spaces. Illegal parking dropped from 69.3% of 102 vehicles during the initial ground-sign condition to 57.3% of 36 vehicles in the first vertical-sign condition. Following removal of the vertical signs, illegal parking increased to 68.7% of 43 vehicles. During the second vertical-sign condition, illegal parking dropped to 53.7% of 32 vehicles, followed by an increase to 69.5% of 68 vehicles after the vertical signs were removed. The lowest rate of illegal parking (27.1% of 78 vehicles) occurred in the vertical sign-plus-message condition. Illegal parking subsequently increased to 34.6% (of 94 vehicles) when the message sign was removed, followed by an increase to 65.2% (of 105 vehicles) when the vertical signs were removed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cope
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Allred
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Morsell
mesh_terms: D001107:Architectural Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D010299:Parking Facilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012056:Reinforcement, Social; D012926:Social Control, Formal