Conflicts of interest: the implications of roadside advertising for driver attention

There is growing concern that roadside advertising presents a real risk to driving safety, with conservative estimates putting external distractors responsible for up to 10% of all road traffic accidents.

This report presents a simulator study quantifying the effects of billboards on driver attention, mental workload and performance in urban, motorway and rural environments.

The results demonstrate that roadside advertising has clear adverse effects on lateral control and driver attention, in terms of mental workload.

While the methodological limitations of the study are acknowledged, the overriding conclusion is that prudence should be exercised when authorising or placing roadside advertising. The findings are discussed with respect to governmental policy and guidelines.