Do Digital Billboards Cause Traffic Accidents?

A comprehensive study was conducted in Minnesota to determine whether digital billboards are a dangerous distraction to drivers. The results were released Monday, concluding that the changeable-message signs do not pose any significant threat.

Data was gathered and analyzed from over 18,000 accidents over a 5-year period. Researchers concluded that no relationship existed between accidents and the placement of digital billboards. In fact, there were an average of 4% fewer accidents within a half mile of each digital sign location.

The report follows a 2007 study conducted in Cleveland (the first Clear Channel market to build a digital billboard network) which also concluded that digital billboards don't cause accidents. The Cleveland study, conducted by Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute, focused on billboards placed on highways and interstates. The Minnesota study was conducted by Tantala Associates, and primarily looked at signs located on surface streets.

"This study is more evidence that these valuable advertising and public service tools belong in forward thinking communities," said Nancy Fletcher, CEO and president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. "The evidence is clear: digital billboards are not related to traffic accidents."

I will be the first to profess that digital billboards succeed at grabbing your attention. That's what makes them so effective. But they draw your attention to your surroundings outside the car, while radios, iPods, and Blackberries take your eyes away from the road and place your focus inside the vehicle.

What do you think? Post your feedback in the comments section.