CC Minutes 03/10/2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Discussion Flashing, Intermittent, or Moving Lights On July 17,1996, the FHWA sued a memorandum cl3rtfylng the 6tltus of "changeable mes6age 6.IgllS.' It ooted that many St:lte-Fedecal agreements \fl)uld allo\~ for changeable me&- s:ages &uch as the Trl-V1s1on slgns that use routlng pmeIs or slat&. Howel'eJ; It also noted that, el'en lfTrI-V1s10n 6lgns "'ell! allowed, the agreement probably wouldm alloW' LED 61gnl. "In ne:ltly all SUtes, these signs may stlU not contaIn fhshlng, Intermittent, or movtng llghts,..the memo states. A 2006 letter to 1&33 DEplItment ofTr:uEp:>rt3tlon officWs goes even funher. If the 6Ute agll!ement prohibits 61gns "Wumln:lted b}' any fl,,,"i,,!> inftrmintfl/ '" ,,>>fling light or lJghtB...lnclud1ng any f}pe of screoen using anImated or a:roll- log dlEpJaya, &uch as LED Q.1ght~mJttIng dIode) screen oc any other type of video lfrpIay, ~ if ~ '1faWC' is <tati_or]: then "the wordIng In the agreement c:Ieacly prohibits 6uch 6lgns,"1t states. . A 1998 FffiVA memo noted that digital signs raise "significant bigb- way safety qlll'stiom buause of tlu potential to be ,'xtremel)' brigbt, rapidly cbanging, and distracting to motorists." . A 2001 FH\i\TA review of billboard safet)' smdies found that "tbe safety consequences of distraction from tbe dri'(Jing task can be profound." . A 2003 report titled External-To-Vehicle Driver Distraction, by the Development Department Research Programme in Scotland, found that "there is overwhelming evidence that advertisements and sigm placed near junctions can function as distracters, and that ibis con- stitutes a major tbreat to road safet)'." It filrther noted that, "Young (aged 17-21) drivers are particularly prone to external-to-vehicle driver distraction." The Impact of Driver Inattention on Near-Crash/ Crash Risk: An Analysis Using the 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study Data ApriI2006, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Dtpartment o[Transportation A major study of driver inattention, primarily involving distractions inside the car, but finding that any distraction of more than two seconds is a poten- tial cause of crashes and near crashes. Traffic Safety Evaluation of Video Advertising Signs Transportation Reseasch Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1937, 2005 A study of electronic signs in Toronto, which finds that "On the basis of the eye fixation study and the pubic survey data, it is apparent that video advertising can distract drivers inappropriately and lead to individual crashes," but calls for additional research due to other conflicting data. UNo empirical studies are necessary for reasonahle people to conclude that hillhoards pose a traffic hazard, since hy their very nature they are designed to distract drivers and their passengers from maintaining their view of the road"