Adults with dyslexia may find difficulties in reading the messages on variable message signs (VMS) while driving. These signs are an essential part of the traffic communication systems, aimed at informing road users of special circumstances, such as congestion, traffic diversion, or unexpected events. A driving simulation experiment was conducted to test if complementary audio versions of the VMS would be helpful for drivers with dyslexia. Twenty adults with dyslexia and 20 matched controls participated. They were asked to classify the messages displayed on VMS posted along a simulated route, which was completed twice: one with text VMS (visual condition), and another one with text VMS plus complementary audio messages (audio + visual condition). The results showed that in the ordinary, visual condition, the participants with dyslexia needed to be closer to the VMS than controls to correctly classify the message, but, crucially, these group differences vanished when the driver received an audio version of the message (audio + visual condition). Moreover, the availability of audio versions had positive effects for all participants, as shown by higher accuracy in the message classification task, as well as better driving performance. Therefore, technologies aimed at providing audio versions of VMS can help drivers with dyslexia. A mobile application, READit VMS, which is able to provide real-time complementary audio versions of VMS, is presented as an example.

患有阅读障碍的成年人在开车时可能难以阅读可变信息标志（VMS）上的信息。这些标志是交通通信系统的重要组成部分，旨在告知道路使用者特殊情况，例如交通拥堵，交通改道或突发事件。进行了驾驶模拟实验，以测试VMS的补充音频版本是否会对阅读障碍的驾驶员有所帮助。20名患有阅读障碍的成年人和20名相匹配的对照组参加了研究。他们被要求对沿着模拟路线发布的VMS上显示的消息进行分类，该消息完成了两次：一个带有文本VMS（可视状态），另一个带有文本VMS加补充音频消息（音频和可视状态）。结果表明，在普通的视觉条件下，阅读障碍的参与者需要比控件更接近VMS才能正确地对消息进行分类，但是，至关重要的是，当驾驶员收到消息的音频版本（音频+视觉状况）时，这些群体差异消失了。此外，音频版本的可用性对所有参与者都有积极影响，如消息分类任务中更高的准确性以及更好的驾驶性能所表明。因此，旨在提供VMS音频版本的技术可以帮助患有阅读障碍的驾驶员。以移动应用程序READit VMS为例，它可以提供VMS的实时补充音频版本。当驾驶员收到消息的音频版本（音频和视觉状态）时，这些组差异消失。此外，音频版本的可用性对所有参与者都有积极影响，如消息分类任务中更高的准确性以及更好的驾驶性能所表明。因此，旨在提供VMS音频版本的技术可以帮助患有阅读障碍的驾驶员。以移动应用程序READit VMS为例，它可以提供VMS的实时补充音频版本。当驾驶员收到消息的音频版本（音频和视觉状态）时，这些组差异消失。此外，音频版本的可用性对所有参与者都有积极影响，如消息分类任务中更高的准确性以及更好的驾驶性能所表明。因此，旨在提供VMS音频版本的技术可以帮助患有阅读障碍的驾驶员。以移动应用程序READit VMS为例，它可以提供VMS的实时补充音频版本。