Comprehension of Aviation Safety Pictograms: Gender and Prior Safety Card Reading Influences

Abstract

The present study assessed the comprehensibility of aviation safety pictorials that compose specific pictograms. A total of 120 individuals were asked to provide detailed responses to each pictorial that comprised a pictogram. The seven categories of pictograms were: (a) take-off, landing, and surface movement; (b) oxygen; (c) in flight; (d) land evacuation; (e) emergency/brace position and floor lighting; (f) water evacuation; and (g) water evacuation — on overwater aircraft. Results indicated that 21 of the 40 pictorials presented were within the acceptable range of the ISO 67% comprehension criterion, whereas only 11 of the 40 pictorials were within the ANSI 85% comprehension criterion. Comprehension of the pictorials comprising the oxygen pictogram was the highest among the seven categories of pictograms tested. However, the pictorials that connoted “move away from the aircraft”, which were found in the land evacuation pictograms, were the least comprehended. Implications for aviation safety card design are discussed.

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