You may not know, but this phenomenon increases the chance of a car accident

As part of a study by the Ministry of Transportation, it was found that these are very problematic elements, which may significantly increase the possibility of a traffic accident.

Here are the reasons why it is really dangerous for you, but what is the state doing about it?

David Rosenthal

12/08/2022

Friday, August 12, 2022, 07:05

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Flickering and distracting.

Billboards in Ayalon (Photo: ShutterStock)

It is impossible to miss them: in the course of the last few years, dozens of huge electronic advertising signs, bright and flashing, have been placed on the side of Israel's roads.

Apparently, there is no difference between these signs and the other billboards, but recently, as part of a study by the Ministry of Transportation, it was found that these are very problematic elements, which may significantly increase the possibility of a traffic accident, due to the limitations of the human eye and brain.

According to the results of the study, which is also based on studies by the American Highway Safety Agency, one of the essential problems inherent in signs is visual distraction.

In the human body, visual information is received from specific receptors in the retina that function as light-receiving cells and are able to communicate with the nervous system.

But our ability to process the huge amounts of information received from the environment is limited.

"This limitation is created due to the bottleneck of human thinking, and it may lead to a situation of information overflow and impairment of function," states Asuta Optics.

According to them, when we are exposed to many visual stimuli, the brain must separate what is important to handle, however, the flood of information received as a result of exposure to those signs, creates a load of stimuli, which greatly challenges the vision and thinking system.

In this context, the study shows that the problems of distraction become significant when it comes to driving at an interchange, viewing an advertisement sign while making a detour, an urban section near parks and schools, and sections where the driver's attention is required to "deal" with additional distractions, such as signs from the authorities that display Information about traffic congestion.

Distraction and short-sightedness only increase the drivers' potential for accidents (Photo: Reuven Castro)

In fact, this is not the first time that a spotlight has been placed on the risk these signs create.

In 2015, a bill was placed on the Knesset table with the aim of amending the section of the Roads Law that allows the existence of advertising signs on Ayalon lanes.

In the information attached to the bill, it is written, among other things, that there is a 30-40% decrease in accidents with casualties during the period when the advertising signs were removed from the lanes, while the return of the signs caused a dramatic increase of 40-50% in the number of accidents and an increase of 18-54% in accidents with casualties.

As part of the bill, it is explicitly stated that placing billboards along the Ayalon routes constitutes an immediate and tangible danger to the lives and health of the passengers on this road, in addition to the heavy economic damages caused by traffic congestion and the cost of treating accident victims.

In addition, the research shows that there is no effective solution.

In the concluding chapter, it is written that "the option of introducing a change to the framework of the existing laws and regulations on the subject - very difficult and protracted, because many factors are involved in the matter. Therefore, it does not seem practical at this stage."

However, they note that "there is a clear need to create tools that will enable a rational balance of interests, in which, on the one hand, the advertising industry can continue to operate and succeed, and on the other hand, the officials in charge of approving and enforcing the placement of advertising signs in the urban and interurban areas - will be more aware of the rules" Do" and "don't do" in the field".

It also turns out that the intensity of distraction increases when it comes to at-risk groups of drivers: "Cognitive load affects the way visual information is processed and the ability to divide attention, and therefore has a decisive effect on the chance of accidents happening", it is noted.

In addition, vision problems that exist in quite a few drivers in Israel, such as myopia (difficulty seeing distant objects), astigmatism (cylinder in the eye), further worsen their condition and significantly increase the risk of an accident.

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100 meters from the sides of the road.

Billboard in Florida (Photo: ShutterStock)

And how do other countries deal with the issue?

Most states in the United States, Canada and Australia specifically prohibit the use of large electronic advertising signs in the right-of-way and on the sides of roads and intersections.

This is usually at a distance of up to 100 meters from the side of the road.

Despite the lack of statistical significance in most of the findings (due to the limited scope of the data), overall evaluation studies in the US indicate an increasing trend in accidents or a slowdown in the improvement of the safety situation, due to the installation of commercial advertising signs near certain sections of road.

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