Vehicle Shippers Just as Prone to Digital Billboard Distraction as Others

Vehicle shippers have an array of distractions at their disposal, most of which are avoidable, like smartphones and tablet computers. But the roadside distractions advertising goods and services on digital billboards are distractions that most drivers are defenseless against.

A recent study by a Swedish research team suggests that these roadside distractions, digital billboards to be exact, are pulling drivers’ gazes off the road and onto the glitzy signs for a dangerous amount of time. The study reveals that the average gaze lasted a full two seconds, which when going 60-plus miles per hour means the vehicle will cover more than 160 feet of road while the driver is looking away.

The brighter digital billboards peak the curiosity of the drivers for longer periods of time than a standard billboard. While advertisers are merely trying to sell a product, they’re also posing a threat to travelers, including vehicle shippers. Some municipalities have noted the danger of digital billboards and have banned them, however, there are countless miles of interstate where vehicle shippers and others are traveling at 80 miles per hour with these ever-changing, bright digital billboards flicker their messages 24 hours a day without regulation.

Swedish lawmakers have taken note and have banned digital billboards, ordering all companies to remove them from the roadways. The billboard industry in the U.S. has released studies of its own claiming that they do not pose any threat to public safety. However, they’ll also tell clients that drivers will not be able to avoid the messages displayed on them. An independent analyst looking at the industry’s study has debunked them as having no merit.

State lawmakers are still waiting for the results of a Federal Highway Administration study on digital billboards. However, most studies regarding attention span on roadways reveal that any distraction lasting two seconds or more is extremely risky and can result in fatal collisions. Because many of the digital billboards involve video advertisements, the dangers of prolonged distraction are very real.

While vehicle shippers are often some of the most well trained drivers on the open road, they are just as prone to distraction as any other driver. While practicing defensive driving, keeping a vehicle in proper working order with lights and mirrors in place for safety regulations, staying on a normal sleep schedule and taking breaks from the road are all habits vehicle shippers practice, taking digital billboards out of the equation is likely a good move for the safety of them and other motorists.