Traffic Safety

Research shows that billboards -- even the most attention-getting billboards -- are not related to accidents. The presence of billboards does not affect motorists' behavior, such as changing lanes or change speed.

New technology enables billboard "copy" to change via computer. Known as digital billboards, these signs display static messages, typically for six or eight seconds. State and local governments have reviewed accident records for roadways near digital billboards; they do not cite traffic safety problems associated with digital billboards. Likewise, an engineering analysis of three years of accident data in the Cleveland, OH, area showed no statistical relationship between digital billboards and accidents. A separate study of drivers in the same area said digital billboards are "safety neutral."

Issue Brief

Research