Research Claims Billboards Send Drivers To Distraction
The potentially dangerous impact of outdoor advertising has been highlighted by new research which suggests that some roadside billboards distract drivers and lead to traffic accidents.
The study, which was undertaken by Glasgow based consultancy Human Factor Analysis, involved looking at available research, which specifically referred to driver distraction. It showed that the size, location and number of billboards were the key factors in causes road accidents.
However, it was difficult to conclude that the content of the advert posed a particular distraction mainly because drivers were too embarrassed to admit that they were momentarily distracted by an eye-catching billboard.
Dr Brendan Wallace, who carried out the study, said: “There is abundant evidence to prove that billboards are the cause of driver distraction which contribute to road accidents. Junctions pose a particular threat where people’s vision is confused and their reactions are slowed when they are looking for traffic signs but are interrupted by large, brightly coloured billboards.”
Speculation about the effect of roadside billboards on motorists is not new and there has been much debate about the impact of lingerie advertising on male drivers. The now infamous ad for Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium perfume featuring a near-naked Sophie Dahl was one of a number of ads criticised for encouraging consumers to take their eyes of the road (see ASA Orders Withdrawal Of Opium Ad After Most Complaints Since 1995).
Dr Wallace added: “Further research is needed on the impact of the content of the advert. People can be distracted by colourful or explicit advert, but we found that very few people were willing to admit that they crashed their car because they were looking at an ad showing a beautiful woman.”
Human Factor Analysts www.hfal.co.uk
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