Digital Printing

Digital Billboards Are Not Related to Traffic Accidents, Study Says

Tantala Associates refutes claims that digital billboards are distracting.

Published

15 years ago

April 13, 2009

Jacob Rieskamp Signs of the Times April 2009 Issue

A new study released by Philadelphia-based Tantala Associates LLC refutes claims that digital billboards pose a safety threat to drivers.

The Rochester study looked at Rochester Police Dept. data from approximately 18,000 traffic accidents over a five-year period. The report shows the accident rate actually decreased by 4% within 0.6 miles of digital billboards.

“The overall conclusion of the study is that digital billboards in Rochester have no statistically significant relationship with the occurrence of accidents,” the report says.

“This study is more evidence that these valuable advertising and public service tools belong in forward thinking communities,” said Outdoor Advertising Assn. of America (OAAA) President and CEO Nancy Fletcher. “The evidence is clear: Digital billboards are not related to traffic accidents.”

This report confirms a 2007 study of Cleveland, OH, area digital billboards. There, the digital billboards were located along interstate highways. In Rochester, the digital billboards are located along local streets. In both cases, the researchers found no statistically significant relationship between the presence of digital billboards and traffic accidents.

The report was commissioned by the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that fosters research and education on OOH issues.

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