from the it-sounded-like-a-great-idea-at-the-time dept.
As described over at ScienceDaily, a paper in Science out of the University of Minnesota found that those signs put up by various highway departments informing the drivers of how many people have died on that section of the road apparently are distracting enough to cause more accidents than if they weren't put up in the first place.
Displaying the highway death toll on message boards is a common awareness campaign, but new research shows this tactic actually leads to more crashes. This new study evaluated the effect of displaying crash death totals on highway message boards (e.g., '1669 deaths this year on Texas roads'). Versions of highway fatality messages have been displayed in at least 27 US states.
The study looked at highway statistics in Texas, where these kind of signs are put out one week each month. They found there were more crashes during the week when the signs were out, estimated to add 2600 crashes and 16 deaths per year. They suggest that this "in-your-face" messaging adds to the driver "cognitive loading." There was also a correlation between the number of deaths posted on the sign and the number of accidents.
"Distracted driving is dangerous driving," said Madsen. "Perhaps these campaigns can be reimagined to reach drivers in a safer way, such as when they are stopped at an intersection, so that their attention while driving remains focused on the roads."
Source Article:
Highway death toll messages cause more crashes
Journal Reference:
Jonathan D. Hall, Joshua M. Madsen. Can behavioral interventions be too salient? Evidence from traffic safety messages. Science, 2022; 376 (6591)
DOI: 10.1126/science.abm3427
(Score: 4, Touché) by stretch611 on Saturday April 23 2022, @08:35AM (1 child)
Everyone wants to break the record. This is encouragement.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @10:14AM
"Everyone wants to break the record. This is encouragement."
Stupid people gonna stupid.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @09:08AM (21 children)
I don't see how this could just be cognitive load. A sign like this is no more distracting than any other road sign and certainly less distracting than ordinary road nuisances like a poor road surface or those miserable blinking taillights. I'm surprised they make any difference at all, and I'd be inclined to question the study.
But, assuming that the result is correct, I suspect that it is instead causing emotional load sufficient to make drivers second guess themselves and therefore drive more poorly. If the signs don't affect dangerous drivers but get in the head of enough average or somewhat below average drivers, it could make things worse.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by looorg on Saturday April 23 2022, @09:13AM (5 children)
Could be the drivers emotional load. But also that the sign keeps changing, not sure if it's placement or if it is only the message (or the number of dead). But it changes. So it's not constant like most other road signs (speed, stop, crossings etc) that doesn't change all to often once they go up. But then other changing or moving information signs should have a similar effect on the deaths or crashing shouldn't they? Otherwise it might be the message. If they don't then they might have something about location or emotional issues.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @12:10PM (1 child)
Driver sees ‘1669 Deaths’ and splits concentration between driving and trying to remember the previous sign number from a month ago… how much has it gone up since the last time they put up a sign? So, yeah, I could see that these possibly distract more than they help.
Or, as suggested already, these have the same effect as those radar “Your Speed Is XYZ” signs that seem to urge some drivers to get a higher score?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @01:35PM
> ... radar “Your Speed Is XYZ” signs
Had fun with one of these that was stationed on our residential street (years ago). Picked up the rear of my bicycle and spun the pedals in high gear, so the rear wheel was really spinning. The radar picked this up (maybe reflection from the spokes) and read 50-60 mph (about 3 crank revs/second).
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Michael on Saturday April 23 2022, @01:16PM (1 child)
It would surprise me if any message which implies "the authorities suggest you do this to protect yourself and others" didn't get interpreted by a significant proportion of people as "do the opposite, unless you're a weak soy guzzling gay communist with a tiny dick".
Most likely those people don't think about it that way intellectually or consciously (in the event they have access to those mind states at all), they probably just experience it as a vague feeling and let their subconscious translate that into behaviour, the way an exhausted toddler or frightened dog might.
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Saturday April 23 2022, @10:46PM
You're talking about the "don't lecture me with your death messages because I'm the best driver in the world" types.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by krishnoid on Saturday April 23 2022, @06:00PM
That gets my vote (and mod point). If you have a speed limit, textual instructions, or symbols, they're one of a small set [ca.gov] of carefully color- and shape-grouped possibilities, each of which probably map to a single neuron. Plus, your experience tells you you'll only see a much smaller set on a freeway. Green signs for exits provide them in order by direction in a quickly-assimilated table.
But a free-form LED sign with specific numbers?
Even just restructuring the sentence by starting with "Accidents in May/this year/caused by drunk/distracted drivers: some number" would let people push it to background processing after they see "Accidents". In no circumstance is it helpful to parse the sentence and assimilate the importance of the number while driving. If it's eye-catching, it's done its job in getting people to read it, but not getting people to focus on the road situation at the moment.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @04:19PM
But, most of those signs are designed to be seen at a glance without much cognitive load, or they can be ignored for long stretches of road. Stop signs are red with many points do that you don't need to read it, it's obvious before you get to the text. The speed limit signs are similarly quick to read.
Signs like those one are unusual, require much more attention to make out and are unnecessarily constructed. It's the same for those dumb school zone signs. You have to make out what the sign is then figure out if it applies by taking your eyes off the road and looking to see if there are kids present. Simply making the speed limit permanently slower in that area would be fast safer, but give fewer chances for tickets.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @05:41PM (1 child)
Wow. Genius. And if you read the fucking article, you'd see that's precisely what they meant by "cognitive load":
There's no "instead" about it. You're saying precisely what the authors said. You just don't realize what "cognitive load" means.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 24 2022, @12:56AM
Around here they traditionally use signs that request people turn their headlights on for dangerous roads. It's easy to do, quick to read and increases visibility to incoming traffic. Fortunately, most of those roads have been redone to make them less hazardous.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday April 23 2022, @06:51PM (5 children)
Keep in mind that there have been zero studies on the effects of other signs and billboards. For all we know, they are contributing to accidents.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Saturday April 23 2022, @08:05PM (1 child)
This is sort of what I'm thinking. I think that sign might be distracting cause they change it, I don't know if it's just location or message or whatever. But it changes. I'm not sure about the US and various other places but in a lot of them they don't allow for various signs and commercials close to certain road segments (obviously not in the middle of downtown as that place always seems to be full of distractions, but then the speed is also fairly low normally). But it would be interesting if they compare it to other by the road (or close proximity) distractions. What about say Amber alerts (or any alert be it a large pile up of traffic or some kind of large fire or chemical/industrial accident or whatever they warn for in your part of the world ... Gojiro alerts or whatever) ? I don't recall now since it was so long since I was in the US but doesn't some segments have like gigantic flashing signs etc and the radio switch to it and override your normal settings and phones start to get them etc?
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday April 26 2022, @07:22PM
In the U.S. there's advertisements plastered all over the road side on just about any busy thoroughfare. It's interesting how they aren't officially considered 'distracting' even though the entire purpose of an advertisment is to get your attention in spite of whatever else you might be doing.
The actual road signs are probably less so since they have regulated shapes and colors so unless the type of information conveyed is useful, you'll likely ignore them entirely.
(Score: 2) by canopic jug on Monday April 25 2022, @11:18AM (1 child)
There might have been some data on roadside Burma Shave signs, but that would be pre-Internet and they were not full-sized billboards. Those were around at the time traffic speed and density increased and worked really well to take the drivers' attention off the road ahead of them.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday April 26 2022, @07:34PM
I believe there was even an old BC comic where the punchline was crashing in to a Burma Shave sign urging drivers to watch the road.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2022, @02:10AM
Yeah, I’d love to see them try a study where they instead cover billboards in a stretch of highway for a couple weeks a year and compare statistics.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday April 23 2022, @09:50PM (2 children)
Yeah I can see that drivers with anxiety or PTSD could in bad cases have a panic attack or at least become distractingly nervous when they're made to think of a high likelihood of fatalities on that bit of road. It's arguably something a driver needs to be able to handle though because there'll always be times they drive past an actual accident (another well known cause of distraction).
Can't they just drop the speed limit for that spot and maybe add some kind of graded warning to communicate the level of danger? I was going to say color coded but you need a pattern for the color blind. The whole thing seems like a poorly thought out gimmick though, to be honest.
Master of the science of the art of the science of art.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 24 2022, @03:28AM (1 child)
The signs aren't about any particular stretch of road. They are general-purpose signs which sometimes display information about a child abduction, missing old person, or whatever. On holidays they might have some message like "give thanks for safe driving". Most of the time the signs say something like "Click it or Ticket" (a reminder to buckle your seatbelt), "Don't text and drive", or the Texas road death statistic.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Sunday April 24 2022, @09:44AM
Are you implying TFS is incorrect?
Master of the science of the art of the science of art.
(Score: 2) by DrkShadow on Saturday April 23 2022, @10:21PM (2 children)
You're probably right: emotional load. Important bits from the study's conclusion:
1. More wrecks with a "People Wreck" sign than a "You Should Vote (Republican)!" sign.
Maybe people just shrug and ignore the political sign more.
2. Maybe this is all a case of: when you say "Don't cut yourself!" people are more likely to cut themselves. Likewise while hammering. Doesn't everyone learn that growing up? Not sure the reason why, but telling people to be careful on the highway will likely lead to more wrecks.
3. The distance is up-to-10km. It's not "in the next 1km" -- so it's not distraction.
4.
5. Perhaps the messages cause them to re-evaluate how they're driving, and try to instead drive in a way that others have told them is "safer". (I hate that word.)
This could make them do things that they're un-used-to and unfamiliar, and equally inexperienced with. That might cause them to lose control at a time where they might otherwise maintain it if they're being careful.
I think this all results in (2), probably by (5). You tell people to not do bad thing, they don't want to do bad thing, they focus a *little* extra on not doing bad thing, bad thing happens.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @10:33PM
Expect more of these to go up in red states, then for R teamers to blame the D team for them and cite this study.
(Score: 1) by Paradise Pete on Sunday April 24 2022, @07:23AM
The study found that it happens. The "why" seems to be speculation. Reasonable, but not tested.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @09:36AM (4 children)
The main goal of any bureaucracy is to perpetuate itself and grow. Any department tasked with reducing accidents will, over time, change it's mission to causing accidents, thereby demonstrating the need for more power and funding.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @10:54AM (3 children)
How will they handle driverless cars.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Mojibake Tengu on Saturday April 23 2022, @11:14AM
Hacking.
The edge of 太玄 cannot be defined, for it is beyond every aspect of design
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @11:44AM (1 child)
>> How will they handle driverless cars.
Siimple... they'll put more emergency vehicles on the side of the road for them to crash into.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 25 2022, @04:42AM
They'll make the roads more difficult for the driverless vehicles. A cone here, more potholes, more junk on the road for the vehicle to slip on or pop their tires, more confusing signs intended to confuse the computer, etc...
(Score: -1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @12:41PM
It's just the govt "doing something."
Turn the goddamn signs off. Waste of money, waste of manpower, waste of attention, but then it is govt, this is what they do.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by isostatic on Saturday April 23 2022, @01:08PM (5 children)
How many people do roadside billboards kill?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @01:42PM
> How many people do roadside billboards kill?
It should be possible to do a natural experiment to look at this, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_experiment [wikipedia.org] Identify a large number of generally similar roads, some with, others without roadside advertising. Then count the accidents.
However, the abstract of this meta study suggests that most studies and models use other techniques? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856418310632 [sciencedirect.com]
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Saturday April 23 2022, @02:43PM
I'm guessing it depends on any human models' (ahem) features.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @06:00PM
I guess it depends upon the context. If you've ever driven up or down the US east coast on I-95, when you are within 100 miles of the tourist trap South of the Border [sobpedro.com] on the North/South Carolina border, you start getting peppered with billboards. Once you are within 30 or 50 miles it is about every mile or two. By the time you get there, you want to do harm to "Pedro," the cartoon mascot who is on every billboard.
Does this count?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 25 2022, @04:45AM
I think freeway advertising signs used to be illegal (not sure if it was a state thing or federal) at one time but now I see them everywhere.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Monday April 25 2022, @01:43PM
In South Dakota billboards save lives. Just about the time you're about to kill yourself from the monotony of the landscape, a billboard for Wall Drug comes along and reminds you there's something to live for.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @01:13PM (1 child)
Athletes feeling the pressure and anxiety, often choke.
Could be same effect going on, especially with new drivers.
(Score: 1) by rpnx on Sunday April 24 2022, @09:23PM
Yeah, sounds like anxiety induced crashes.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 24 2022, @05:59AM (1 child)
Nerd Sniping [xkcd.com]
Not the same thing, just reminded me of it.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday April 25 2022, @01:55PM
That reminds me of the Pedestrian Polo comedy sketch by Red Skelton. Now, he was a comedian.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"