Blinking threats on the highway: The growing concern over electronic billboards

A message from Scenic Pittsburgh: New studies highlight the potential risks posed by digital advertising to road safety

In our increasingly digital world, distractions for drivers are multiplying. One of the latest culprits under scrutiny is the electronic billboard — dynamic, bright, conspicuous and, according to recent studies, a potential hazard to road safety.

While these eye-catching displays offer advertisers a modern platform for capturing consumer attention, research suggests they may be capturing the eyes of drivers at a cost. Studies conducted by several traffic safety organizations have revealed that electronic billboards may significantly contribute to driving distractions.

Distracted driving isn’t just about cellphones anymore. These digital ads draw the attention of even the most diligent of drivers with their shifting graphics, causing an interruption in the continuous focus required for safe driving.

In 2018, research done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 8 percent of fatal crashes and 15 percent of injury crashes were reported as distraction-affected crashes. The overall results of the empirical studies show that advertising signs do affect driver attention to the extent that road safety is compromised.

In a 2014 study, crashes from eight digital billboard locations in Alabama and 10 in Florida on high speed, limited access highways were analyzed. A total of 377 crashes in Florida and 77 in Alabama were used in the analysis. The authors found that the presence of digital billboards increased the overall crash rates by 25% in Florida and 29% in Alabama. The predominant crash types that were overrepresented at billboard locations were rear-end and sideswipe collisions, both typical of driver distraction.

In addition, research shows that the drivers most susceptible to unsafe levels of distraction from roadside billboards are the young (who are more prone to distraction and less adept at emergency vehicle response) and the elderly (who have more difficulty with rapidly shifting attention, poorer night vision and glare susceptibility, and slower mental processing time).

The economic incentives for advertisers are undeniable. With rotating content capabilities, electronic billboards allow multiple advertisers to share space through quickly changing messages, a feature not possible with traditional billboards. As municipalities and states grapple with the balance between economic benefits and public safety, traffic safety advocates urge a re-examination of current digital billboard practices.

“It’s not just about aesthetics” says Mike Dawida, former Allegheny County Commissioner and now Executive Director of Scenic Pittsburgh. “The human eye is hard-wired to look at bright, moving or flashing objects. Distracted driving is a matter of public safety. If we know that flashing digital billboards are designed to distract, and we know that driver distraction is a major cause of traffic fatalities, then why would we even consider placing digital billboards on our highways?”

There have been lawsuits where billboard companies or property owners have been sued for accidents allegedly caused by distracting billboards. However, proving causation in these cases can be challenging. Many of these cases end in settlements, which can make it difficult to establish clear legal precedents. As digital billboard technology advances, courts and regulators are continually reassessing what constitutes a dangerous distraction.

Although electronic billboards may have commercial advantages, stakeholders must weigh these against emerging evidence of their impact on driver safety.

As more studies come to light, legislators, advertisers and the public may need to decide if the distraction caused by electronic billboards is a traffic safety risk worth taking.