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<br /> <br />Robert H. Lynn <br />April 15, 2008 <br />Page 13 <br /> <br />example, a digital display that cycles six different advertisements every six seconds will cause a <br />highway driver traveling at 65 mph to see one full rotation of the ads. During peak traffic hours, <br />when traffic slows, a driver could see three to five loops. ("Pixels and Prints: Outdoor's Future <br />Fusion," September 30, 2003, Electronic Display Central.com). As the responsible federal <br />agency recently concluded, distracting a driver for even a relatively short time (two seconds) can <br />significantly increase the risk of accident. In April 2006, a National Highway Traffic Safety <br />Administration study concluded a study on the impact of driver inattention on near-crash risk and <br />crash risk that "glances [away from the forward roadway] totaling more than 2 seconds for any <br />purpose increase the near-crash/crash risk by at least two times that of normal, baseline driving." <br />("The hnpact of Driver Inattention on Near-Crash/Crash Risk: An Analysis Using the IOO-Car <br />Naturalistic Driving Study Data" (April 2006) (abstract). <br /> <br />For all these reasons, the City may restrict the conversion of static billboards (including <br />prior lawful nonconforming billboards) into electronic billboards to curb the risk of distraction <br />and promote the public health, welfare or safety within the meaning of Minn. Stat. 9 462.357, <br />subd. 1 e (b). <br /> <br />2. The City's Illumination Standards Are Not Preempted by State Law <br /> <br />Plaintiff contends that it does not have to satisfY the lighting requirements of the City's <br />Sign Code because the City's regulation is preempted by state law. More specifically, Plaintiff <br />argues that the lighting regulations contained in the state's Outdoor Advertising Act, Minn. Stat. <br />9 173.16, subd. 3, supersede the City's lighting regulation and that Plaintiff's LED sign complies <br />with the lighting requirements of subdivision 3. Complaint ~ 24-27. <br /> <br />"Preemption is defined as 'occupying the field' in Minnesota." In re Appeal of <br />Rocheleau, 686 N.W.2d 882, 890 (Minn. Ct. App. 2004) (quoting Mangold Midwest Co. v. <br />Village of Richfield, 274 Minn. 347, 356, 143 N.W.2d 813, 819 (1966)). "The doctrine of <br />preemption is premised on the right of the state to so extensively and intensively occupy a <br />particular field or subject with state laws that there is no reason for municipal regulation." <br />Nordmarken v. City of Richfield, 641 N.W.2d 343, 347 (Minn. Ct. App. 2002) (citing Mangold, <br />143 N.W.2d at 819). <br /> <br />There are four factors that Minnesota courts consider in <br />determining whether preemption has occurred: (I) the subject <br />matter regnlated; (2) whether the subject matter is so fully covered <br />by state law that it has become solely a matter of state concern; (3) <br />whether any partial legislation on the subject matter evinces an <br />intent to treat the subject matter as being solely a state concem; <br />and (4) whether the nature of the subject matter is such that local <br />regulation will have an adverse effect on the general state <br />population. <br />