Have you ever been driving and suddenly got distracted by a billboard you’ve never seen before? Well, this answer is all too common among drivers on today’s roads and highways. A recent survey by Privilege Insurance found that 30% of UK drivers admitted losing concentration while driving due to a billboard or sign.
Why Driver Distraction Is Important
Driver distraction increases the chances of a car accident occurring. It is one of the main underlying causes of car accidents. In fact, driver behavior is cited as one of the four causes of vehicle accidents listed below in order from the most important cause to the least important cause:
1. Driver behavior
2. Poor road maintenance
3. Road design
4. Equipment failure
In fact, more than 95% of car accidents have some driver behavior as part of the cause, even if some or all of the other main causes are involved.
Why a few seconds of inattention is important
We have all done it: we momentarily look away from the road. The problem is that drivers sometimes take their eyes off the road for too long or at a crucial point. If a driver is distracted by bright colors or someone in sexy lingerie on a billboard while diving near you, you could end up being the victim of a car accident. The car accident attorneys at Orlando Best & Anderson are very familiar with this scenario.
Additionally, electronic and mobile billboards with pop-up sections can increase the chances of an accident because people tend to stare at them longer than traditional billboards.
If drivers are distracted for five seconds while traveling at 60 miles per hour, then they are not looking at the road for 100 yards or more (the length of a football field), which is more than enough time for a vehicle accident to occur. . .
Even more disturbing, a 2006 study by the University of Nottingham found that up to 50% of the time a driver spends on the road may involve paying attention to road distractions.
Drivers are even distracted by the myriad of signs that are actually supposed to help them navigate the roads.
All of this adds up to great potential for car accidents to occur.
The phenomenon of “highway hypnosis”
Some people may claim that billboards help alleviate driver boredom on long road trips. This would be a positive benefit for billboards. However, a counterargument to this idea is the phenomenon of “highway hypnosis”. This is so called because when you drive down a straight, flat section of the road, you enter an almost trance-like state due to the monotony of everything that looks very similar. Drivers can end up fixing a billboard that appears to appear out of nowhere during their “hypnosis” and end up causing an accident.
Privilege Insurance determined that in the UK, distractions on the road affected 83% of UK drivers. That number surely can apply to American drivers as well.
This is an alarming statistic because it validates what we already suspect: being inundated with signs and billboards while driving down the road can be distracting while driving. In fact, there is even a billboard that says, “Keep your eyes on the road and stop reading these signs.” This billboard confirms that even companies that put up billboards know they are distracting!
