Eyes on the Road: How Billboards Contribute to Distracted Driving

By Randall Resch In the short drive between Harry Reid International Airport and the Vegas Tow Show at South Point, I spotted a string of billboards plastered with attorneys’ faces, advertising something along the lines of, “Injured? Just call 1-800-HookuUp.” Not only were they an eyesore, I also found them distracting.

Rarely, if ever, has the topic of billboard safety been discussed in tow forums, safety meetings, or Slow Down–Move Over conferences. A tower friend recently sent me a link to an article on billboard safety written by an Australian reporter for Aussie motorists. At first glance, one might not consider the presence of highway billboards a safety issue—but what dangers do they present?

The author focused on—and praised—a study conducted by the Outdoor Media Association examining whether billboards “could make us better drivers” during daily commutes. While I salute the effort to raise safety awareness, I disagree with the claim that “the fleeting seconds you glance at a billboard can impact the way you drive.” Impact is the operative word. Sure, safety messages matter, but isn’t glancing at a billboard, in the grand scheme of staying laser-focused on driving, a form of distracted driving?

While searching online, I found another piece by Billups.com noting that outdoor media is “one of the most effective and efficient forms of advertising,” citing brand recall, cost-effectiveness, reach, and brand recognition. Viewed from a business perspective, that may be true—but from a safety standpoint, glancing at billboards is another potential contributor to distracted driving. Could it lead to deadly results?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines distracted driving as any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating or drinking, talking to passengers, or fiddling with the stereo, entertainment, or navigation system. When traveling at highway speeds, does reading a billboard create conditions that could cause primary or secondary collisions? The answer is yes.

Consider this: a motorist driving in moderate traffic may glance away and unconsciously drift, unknowingly steering into the path of a speeding motorcycle in an adjacent lane. That brief look could prevent them from seeing a pedestrian tow operator or first responder working along the shoulder. Marketing experts may praise billboard space as a powerful tool, but glancing at them creates visual and cognitive distractions—often referred to as “mind-wandering.”

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), along with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), studied the effects of digital billboards on driver attention. The research focused on how long drivers took their eyes off the road when viewing digital billboards. According to FHWA reports released in 2013, “The presence of digital billboards does not appear to be related to a decrease in looking toward the road ahead, which is consistent with earlier industry-sponsored field research done by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).” The longest fixation to a digital billboard was 1.34 seconds, and to a standard billboard, 1.28 seconds—both below the accepted standard.

Despite these findings, early narratives failed to critically examine the risks. As for me, I believe billboards can contribute to secondary crashes by pulling a driver’s attention away from the road. More than 750 tow operators have been killed in on-highway and shoulder-related strikes, yet motorists rarely admit to gazing at billboards during collisions. At 70 miles per hour, a vehicle travels roughly 103 feet per second. At any highway speed, there is no margin for error—not even for a glance at a roadside billboard. Are billboards another form of distracted driving? I believe they are.

Given that the Outdoor Media Association continues to sell billboard space, it seems little concern is given to the dangers they may pose. Until the Federal Highway Commission takes action, billboards should be added to the growing list of causes of distracted driving. Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 55-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 29-years, he has contributed more than 760-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee.Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 55-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 29-years, he has contributed more than 760-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee.

Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.