Facts vs. Myths
Myth #1: The Highway Beautification Act (HBA) was created to get rid of billboards
o The HBA was designed to regulate billboards, not eliminate them
o The HBA intended billboards to be located in commercial and industrial zones
o “Advertising has a vital place in our economy,” said President Lyndon Johnson, White House Conference on Natural Beauty, May 25, 1965
Myth #2: Overall, people hate billboards
o Most people say billboards provide useful information to travelers (Arbitron, 2002)
o American public opinion has been steady for more than three decades, supporting regulation but not elimination of billboards (Dr. Charles R. Taylor, Professor of Marketing, Villanova University, 2002)
o More than four out of five people feel digital billboards provide an important public service (Arbitron, 2008)
Myth #3: Billboard bans help tourism in places like Vermont
o Tourism in Vermont and Maine (no billboards) has lagged the rest of the country and similar-sized states (William Lilley III, iMapData, 2001)
o Loss of billboards causes immediate, significant economic harm to roadside businesses that rely on directional advertising
o Most billboard advertising promotes local business; the travel-tourism sector is the Number One buyer of outdoor advertising
Myth #4: Most localities ban billboards
o Regulation – not prohibition – is the norm
o Four out of five localities provide opportunities for the construction of billboards (Survey of local ordinances conducted by Cleveland State Law Professor Alan C. Weinstein)
Myth #5: Billboards distract drivers, causing traffic safety problems
o Billboards – even the most attention-getting billboards – do not affect driver behavior (Dr. Suzanne Lee, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2004)
o Comprehensive studies of accident data show that digital billboards have no statistical relationship with the occurrence of accidents (Tantala Associates, 2007, 2009, and 2010)
o Digital billboards are safety-neutral from the driver standpoint (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2007)
o The federal government says tri-action billboards do not pose safety problems (FHWA, re amended Oregon state-federal agreement, Federal Register, April 2, 2002)
Myth #6: Billboards light up the skies at night
o Most sky glow – some 96 percent – is produced by sources other than billboards.
o Digital billboards are equipped with sensors so that lighting levels are adjusted for surrounding conditions to avoid glare
Myth #7: Amortization is just compensation
o Amortization is an arbitrary time allotment, not compensation
o Longstanding federal policy mandates cash compensation for billboards removed by government along federal roads
o 44 states protect against amortization of billboard assets along state and local roads
o Amortization is slow-motion confiscation (George F. Will, May 9, 1991)
Myth #8: Billboards are devices to promote vices: Smokes, sin and sex
o Since the 1999 settlement agreement, cigarette makers have not advertised their brands via outdoor formats
o The outdoor industry’s code features an anti-obscenity clause and a 500-foot buffer from schools, parks, and places of worship)
o OAAA member companies have adopted policies against accepting sexually-oriented business ads
Myth #9: Billboards don’t pay taxes
o Billboards are heavily taxed and heavily regulated
o Billboard operators pay state, local and federal taxes
o In addition to generating tax income for government, billboards also produce revenue via permit fees
Myth #10: Scenic Byways ban billboards
o Federal policy “segments” scenic byways, allowing billboards in commercial and industrial areas