MIT Researchers Show Dash Font Choice Affects Distraction

bdking writes "A typeface family commonly found on the devices installed in many modern cars is more likely to cause drivers to spend more time looking away from the road than an alternative typeface tested in two studies, according to new research from MIT's AgeLab." It seems that the closed letter forms of Grotesque type faces require slightly more time to read than open letter forms of Humanist type faces, just enough that it could be problematic at highway speeds.

Comments

So what we're saying is...

[Anonymous Coward]

Serif fonts are easier to read than sans-serif fonts?

Who would have thought it!

Bloody graphic designers. They'll join the lawyers, bankers, patent trolls, advertising shills, dodgy stock traders and so on up against the wall when the revolution comes!!!

Hmmmmm - its going to be an effin big wall, or we're going to have to operate in shifts to clear the backlog.......

Just use Comic Sans

[CodeheadUK]

Everyone loves Comic Sans.

Then all drivers will be happy, smiley and give way to old ladies.

Re:Just use Comic Sans

[L4t3r4lu5]

Comic Sans is for schools and community newsletters. Pro desktop publishers and graphics designers use Papyrus

I feel lied to

[Anonymous Coward]

Did anybody else think this post was going to be about hyphens?

I'm blind

[TheInternetGuy]

I'm blind you insensitive clods, the typeface in all cars should be braille and nothing else.

Re:Just don't text/SMS!

[Dupple]

Well it wouldn't matter if you weren't texting while doing 70 on the highway! :-)

I'm doing 70 and commenting on /. you insensitive clod!