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

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IlII A 1998 FHWA memo noted that digital signs raise "significant high- way safety questions hecause of the potential to he extremely hright, raPidly changing. and distracting to motorists. D IIili A 2001 FHWA review of billboard safety studies found that "the saftty consequences of distraction from the driving task can he profound. D IIIl A 2003 report titled External-To-Vehicle Driver Distraction, by the Development Department Research Programme in Scotland. found that "there is overwhelming evidence that advertisements and signs placed near junctions can function as distratfers, and that this ton- stitutes a major threat to road safety." It further noted that, "Young (aged 17-21) drivers are particularly prone to external-to-vehicle driver distraction." If other studies have remained inconclusive, there is good reason, researchers say. First. many of the studies have been funded, and directed, by the billboard industry (see sidebar). Second, there are inherent diffi- culties in conducting traffic safety research. Jerry Wachtel, an engineering psychologist with 25 years of experience in the field of driver behavior, said too many variables contribute to traffic accidents to make it possible to prove causality from a single source. "Most accidents are not caused by one thing, but multiple things happening at once," he said. According to Wachtel, digital billboards undoubtedly contribute to the growing number of distractions that vie for a driver's attention today. Cell phones, navigational systems, and DVD players constitute in-car distractions, while billboards, especially those that change messages, constitute external distractions. Both, he said, contribute to traffic safety hazards that he believes are growing increasingly worse. "The outdoor advertising industry in my opinion is one part of the problem, but a significant part," he said. Wachtel co-authored a report for the Federal Highway Administration back in the 1980s, updated in 2001, which concluded that "some studies showed a clear relationship between the presence of outdoor signs and driver error or accidents and other studies hadn't shown anything." It recommended government-funded research into the issue, but the research was never funded. The Federal Highway Administration in January 2007, however, announced that it will initiate a study to examine the safety issues related to elec- tronic signs. Details on the scope and timing of the research have not been released, but results are not expected until 2009. Digital signs are often the hri'gbte.rt objects in tbe landscape, especially at night. They dominate the field of view and offer dOllgerous dirtroctiolls for the traveling public.