This study presents results from sentiment analysis of Dynamic message sign (DMS) message content, focusing on messages that include numbers of road fatalities. As a traffic management tool, DMS plays a role in influencing driver behavior and assisting transportation agencies in achieving safe and efficient traffic movement. However, the psychological and behavioral effects of displaying fatality numbers on DMS remain poorly understood; hence, it is important to know the potential impacts of displaying such messages. The Iowa Department of Transportation displays the number of fatalities on a first screen, followed by a supplemental message hoping to promote safe driving; an example is “19 TRAFFIC DEATHS THIS YEAR IF YOU HAVE A SUPER BOWL DON’T DRIVE HIGH.” We employ natural language processing to decode the sentiment and undertone of the supplementary message and investigate how they influence driving speeds. According to the results of a mixed effect model, drivers reduced speeds marginally upon encountering DMS fatality text with a positive sentiment with a neutral undertone. This category had the largest associated amount of speed reduction, while messages with negative sentiment with a negative undertone had the second largest amount of speed reduction, greater than other combinations, including positive sentiment with a positive undertone.
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