Research review of potential safety effects of electronic billboards on driver attention and distraction : final report. Submitted to the Office of Real Estate Services and Federal Highway Administration, Safety Core Business Unit.

This report is a research review of potential safety implications of electronic billboards (EBBs) on driving safety. The review covers the interval from a similar review published in 1980 to the present. The present review focuses on the safety aspects of EBBs and does not examine aesthetic issues. Included are a review of research on driver performance in the presence of EBBs and contacts with federal and state officials to describe state regulatory practices concerning EBBs. An account of tri-vision signs is a part of the state review. Knowledge gaps are identified based on the literature review and these gaps support the development of a set of research questions and related research findings. Research questions are divided into roadway characteristics such as curves, interchanges, and work zones; EBB characteristics such as exposure time, motion and legibility; and driver characteristics such as familiarity and age. Related research findings on the legibility of Changeable Message Signs (CMSs) are also included. (Author/publisher)