Some Fear Billboards Distract Drivers

[Ian David]

By PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press Writer

MINNETONKA, Minn. (AP) -- When officials in this Minneapolis suburb didn't like the two eye-popping digital billboards that Clear Channel erected along the freeway, they pulled the plug. They had the power company cut off the electricity.

That move in December sparked a court fight that local governments and the advertising industry alike are watching as digital billboards with fast-changing messages become more prevalent.

The glowing signs offer advertisers a tantalizing new means of cutting through the urban clutter. But some officials worry that the bright billboards, which display a new image every few seconds, are another dangerous distraction for drivers, many of whom are already multitasking behind the wheel.

"If you see a big bright screen and it's flipping its image like a computer, that's going to pull your eyes off the road for a couple seconds," said Bill Steinbicker, a retired marketing executive who supports his city's fight against Clear Channel Communications Inc., the nation's biggest outdoor-advertising company.



More:
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/D/DIGITAL_BILLBOARDS?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Warpy]

1. Yeah, anything that approaches aTV like image is

terribly distracting.

However, one thing I'll never quite forgive Ladybird Johnson for is her beautification program that removed all the Stuckey's signs from the interstates.

Those suckers always let me know where I was and how far it was until I could get out and stretch my legs. Their pralines weren't bad, either.

Highway hypnosis was less of a problem when there were tacky signs to break up the monotony. Scenery is great, but 500 miles of it with no breaks get boring.

Instead of selling our highways to Dubai, maybe they should consider allowing the billboards back on. They did generate considerable revenue.

[demrabble]

2. They Are Ugly

Billboars are just plain ugly.

They add to the visual clutter no matter where they are located, and no matter what their message.

They should be outlawed.

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. Without gas, food or lodging billboards

in places such as the Mojave Desert, or down the long stretches of US Hwy. 50, there are so many times I would have been totally lost and not known where to pull off to get these essentials.

[cali]

8. You don't need billboards for that.

The state can post signs.

[cali]

7. And in Vermont, they are and have been for

decades. It's a blessed relief not to see the hideous things.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. I remember back in the early '60s there were billboards that were outlawed

due to the distraction factor.

Did a google search for the Lucille Ball billboard that I remember. It was a great big picture of her head and it had a winking eye (at least that's the image I have in my brain :shrug: )

Anyone else remember those flashy billboards from the '60s?

[demrabble]

5. I Do

I don't recall ever seeing Lucy Blinking on A Billboard.

But I do recall seeing lots of flashy billboards.

I also seem to recall that Billboards were removed thanks to the efforts of Lady Bird Johnson (Mrs. Lyndon Johnson) to beautify America.

[TahitiNut]

6. "Burma-Shave - Was such a boom - ..."

"Burma-Shave
Was such a boom
They passed
The bride
And kissed the groom"

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma1.htm

[Katherine Brengle]

9. I don't find billboards distracting in the least. But the tv-like type seems like

overkill and probably more dangerous.

[cali]

10. They may not be distracting, but the are a blight

on the landscape.