09-10-07 Item 7D, Clear Channel - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARE THEY SAFE? The billboard indtutry often tries to win support for its signs by offering to displll)' public scr-vice messages. But no amount of these inducements can compensate for the potential public safety consequences of these devices. BILLBOARDS ARE ADVERTISEMENTS. They are designed to grab our attention, and hold it,just like a television or radio commercial or an ad in a magazine. The latest in billboard technology- the digital or electronic sign-tries to hold our attention even longer by changing messages and pictures every few seconds using a series of extremely bright, colorful images produced mainly via LED (light- emitting diode) technologies. Common sense tells us that if we are looking at a billboard and not at the road when we are driving, that's a dangerous thing. Brightly lit signs that change messages every few seconds compel us to notice them, much the same way our eyes move to the television screen when it's on. They lure our attention away from what's happening on the road and onto the sign. It's just human nature. And it works. That's why these signs are so incredibly lucrative for the billboard industry. Proponents of digital billboards say nobody has ever proven that they increase traffic accidents. This statement is only partially true. Some studies have shown a link between digital billboards (as well as static boards) and traffic safety problems, while others remained inconclusive. Importantly, no objective studies have shown them to be safe. nor have studies been conducted since these signs have started to proliferate. What does the research currently say? lit A Wisconsin Department of Transportation study conducted in the 1980s examined crash rates on 1-94 East and West adjacent to the Milwaukee County stadium, after a variable message sign that showed sports scores and ads had been installed. The study found that sideswipe and rear-end collisions were up as much as 35 percent where the sign was most visible.