Safety Effects of Freeway Roadside Electronic Billboards on Visual Properties of Drivers: Insights from Field Experiments

Abstract

The popularity and rapid growth of roadside electronic billboards in recent decades has resulted in severe safety issues in China, especially at nighttime. However, in-depth investigation of their impact on driver visual properties has been rather limited. This study intends to bridge this gap and gain insights into the issue based on field experiments conducted on road segments of Freeway G60 and Freeway G2 in China. Fifty-five participants were recruited to drive along the selected freeway segments. Multiple properties of the participants’ visual properties were captured, including eye movement (the transition between regions of interest), glance duration, and the rate of pupil area change. Vehicle behavior parameters, including the standard deviation of lane position and the speed, were also collected in order to estimate the potential risks. Results show that billboards along the freeway result in driver distraction, which is associated with a higher risk to driver and passenger safety. Furthermore, these results indicate that the random and messy billboard installations along freeways in China, especially at nighttime, are a safety concern that needs further exploration.