The U.S. billboard industry is unhappy with a Swedish study warning that electronic roadside advertisements may be a dangerous distraction for drivers.

As a result, industry representatives have tried to downplay the significance of the report, so that consumer advocates can’t use it to lobby for changes in the U.S.

The study from Sweden found that drivers tend to lock in on electronic billboards, causing them to lose focus on the road ahead and raising the risk of accidents.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America has tried to undercut the Swedish findings by pointing to an unpublished Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report that concluded drivers are not at greater risk because of digital road signs.

But the FHWA study, which was delayed in being released, suffers from “botched research,” according to the consumer group Fair Warning.

The Swedish study will be presented this week in Washington, DC, at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, which is part of the National Academy of Sciences.

Jerry Wachtel, a traffic safety expert who will chair a panel scheduled to hear the presentation, criticized the industry for citing the flawed FHWA research to refute the Swedish findings.

“I think it is not only dishonest, but I think it is intentionally dishonest,” Wachtel told Fair Warning.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Billboard Industry Touts Discredited Research to Support Safety Claims for Electronic Signs (by Myron Levin, Fair Warning)

Effects Of Electronic Billboards On Driver Distraction (by Tania Dukic et al, Traffic Injury Prevention) (pdf)

Appeals Court Voids “Poison” Deal, Orders Lights Out for L.A. Digital Billboards (by Ken Broder, AllGov California)