The role of roadside advertising signs in distracting drivers

Driving is getting more complex by the time due to distraction factors inside and outside the motor vehicle. One of the major external distraction causes is roadside advertising signs. This study aims at assessing the effects of these signs on driving performance on a simulator and drivers' opinion on the distraction caused by such signs using a questionnaire. Twelve volunteers participated in the driving simulator part of this study on two identical paths with one difference. One had roadside advertising signs and one had none. Driving simulator results revealed that two driving performance indicators, drifting from lane and recklessly crossing dangerous intersections, were significantly worse in the path with advertising signs as compared with performance on the other path. The other three performance indicators (number of tailgating times, over-speeding and turning or changing lanes without signaling) were also worse in the presence of advertising signs but the difference was not statistically significant. 160 drivers responded to the questionnaire. Half of the respondents indicated being distracted at least once by roadside advertising signs. Moreover, 22% of them indicated being put in a dangerous situation due to distraction caused by such signs. Relevance to industry: In light of the results, practical suggestions are made as to the positioning of these advertising signs and the need for more research in this area. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.