Roadside Eye-Catchers Drive Moterists To Distraction
"It’s a testament to the power of roadside advertising that giant billboards are often the first thing a motorist sees after driving through a green light.
Overwhelmingly, these eye-catchers use some form of graphic design or enticing imagery to attract motorists' attention, and most are specifically engineered to lure drivers into taking action. Billboards also function as social statements for their sponsors, in contrast with more traditional roadside advertising. They can make an environmental statement for themselves by incorporating green technologies while still remaining visible and cost-effective. They can occupy space that would otherwise be empty or desolate, and they provide a platform for campaigners to raise awareness of varied environmental and social issues."
In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) released an updated version of "The RCMP Guide to Advertising in Highways". It is available online at the Public Services and Procurement Canada website . It contains a wide variety of useful information for both police departments with advertising budgets - including retailers - and advertising law enforcement agencies, including municipal agencies. This site has many examples of advertising and also some good links to additional resources.
In Ontario, the Ministry of Transportation has updated their guidelines for all agencies that relate to on-road advertising. These include "What is Advertising?" and "Helpful Hints for Departments".
The Ministry's website may be found here
Richmond, B.C., Canada: Federal Highway Traffic Act provides restrictions regarding signage along provincial highways. The City of Richmond also maintains its own bylaws on this topic; however they apply only to off-street billboards (i.e., not within city limits). There are no restrictions on the size, use, placement or commercial content of billboards along the Canada Highway #1. Most of these signs were erected before 1994 and have permits that extend through 2040.
Dismissed by judge 1389.
Under the Japan Highway Act, it is illegal to erect any objects that could obstruct road users in a manner other than normal traffic control devices.
New Zealand has some restricted zones for advertisements but does not restrict the size and style of signs. Sign boards must be at least 1m from the edge of roads and 4 metres away from intersections unless otherwise specified by local councils.
South Africa has a code for the placement of advertising billboards, and is currently debating whether to replace it with a more complete traffic code.
Billboards are mainly used in South Africa for outdoor advertising, such as by advertisers who want to advertise their products. Many of them are placed along the sides of major roads that people use when traveling from one place to another. However, they are not allowed to be placed closer than from the edge of the side of the road and must also be at least from any intersection. Also, all billboards must meet national standards that require every billboard to be reflective so that drivers can see them at night along with other requirements. Billboards are also often used to advertise campaigns and gain more traffic, such as in South Africa when the elections come up.
The code for placing billboards in South Africa was developed by the National Association of Traffic Commissioners (NATCOM) and signed into law by the President on 20 February 2009. It is now under review for a possible change to modernise it with modern technology to bring it up to date.
Driving Distraction is a common reason for crashes. The Highway Safety Research Centre, at the University of Michigan, has found that nearly half of all car crashes that can be attributed to distraction occur at intersections, which typically have signs located in close proximity to the intersection. About three out of every four such crashes involve a driver who looked away from the road ahead for just 1 second or less, and one in four involved a driver who looked away for at least 2 seconds before the crash occurred. Research also shows that drivers are about twice as likely to crash if they are distracted by both visual and auditory stimuli.
"The AASHTO Traffic Safety Committee has recommended that all signs be located at least 16 inches from the edge of traffic lanes (minimum vertical clearance). Consultation with highway departments should continue on how to improve sign visibility, reflectivity, durability, style, and other issues related to signs. "
"The AASHTO traffic safety committee has recommended that the front and side of every sign be a reflective surface at least 24 inches from the edge of traffic lanes (minimum vertical clearance). The code requires that signs midface be a reflective surface at least 28 inches (minimum vertical clearance).
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended in its latest report, "Distracted Driving", that billboards should not exceed 16 feet in height to achieve the visibility required. The bottom of the sign should be no lower than 10 feet above the pavement level. The height of a billboard affects its visibility to approaching traffic and makes those who turn off travel paths more vulnerable to an accident caused by motorists who may have their attention diverted by the billboard.
The Distracted Driving large print brochure in English and Spanish, launched in May 2009, provides statistics about the issue and tips to prevent it. The brochure is available for viewing on the U.S. Department of Transportation's distracted driving website.
In an effort to reduce distracted driving on roadways, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has enacted laws that limit how high billboards can be located on roads close to intersections. The laws require that no advertising signs can be placed within of any intersection or driveways along the highway right-of-way line facing toward traffic (except those here for historical purposes).
Conclusion:
This study analyzed the relationship between the distance of on-road commercial signs from traffic lanes, traffic crashes and fatal crashes in China. The results are shown in table 4. The average distance of commercial signs from traffic lanes was 0.7 m, which is about 6–15% higher than Australia's recommended standard (0.5 m). However, the distance of sponsored signs from local roads was about double that of local roads (which suggests that urban streets have less space for sponsors to set up their billboards).
It can be seen in table 4 that there is a positive correlation between the distance of roadside commercial signs and fatal crashes, while there is no such correlation for sponsored signs or local roads.