Before getting sanctimonious about them, let's acknowledge that no one really knows how much of a driver distraction they cause. Let's also acknowledge that California, among many other states, uses digital signs to warn drivers about traffic snarls, to remind them how fast they're going and to convey other information as well. There's no doubt about it: Bling works. But driver distraction accounts for about 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near crashes, according to a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And commercial digital billboards that provide continuously updated information about upcoming concerts, television shows and other information are proving enormously effective to advertisers, which by extension would suggest that they're grabbing long looks from drivers. Perhaps dangerously long. This is why the Federal Highway Administration is undertaking a $240,000 study to determine how much of a hazard digital billboards present. Are these commercial come-ons the equivalent of cell-phone texting? In some ways they're worse, since they demand immediate attention. If your eyes don't linger at just the right few seconds in time, you'll pass the billboard, message unreceived.
Source: Los Angeles Times
