Movement beckons motorists to heed messages along road

By David Zizzo

Published: July 24, 2007

The eye is drawn to movement, and digital signs can create lots of movement. And controversy.

Under state regulations based on federal law, digital billboards — the modern version of those usually large signs advertising various products and services — have a minimum time each message must remain on the sign before changing. In Oklahoma, it's eight seconds.

And, said Myron Laible, vice president for state, local and regulatory affairs for the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, "There is no animation, no video, no motion. It's very, very clear these are to be a static message.”

Not so with on-premises signs, which are signs at a business that promote only the business at that location.

Those are regulated by city codes, which vary across the 80,000 or so jurisdictions in America, said David Hickey, director of government relations for the International Sign Association.

The organization has seen cities issue many restrictions on digital signs, from limiting message changes to once every four seconds to banning digital signs.

"We have pretty strong problems when cities do that,” Hickey said. "It hurts small businesses.”

Some legal battles over digital sign restrictions could be headed toward constitutional showdowns over First Amendment free speech rights, he said.

The rationale for limiting digital signs has always been that they are distracting. However, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America said last week that a study by Virginia Tech and another by an engineering business in Ohio found that digital billboards don't contribute to accidents.

"The research offers conclusive evidence that traffic accidents are no more likely to happen in the presence of digital billboards than in their absence,” the outdoor advertising association said. Hickey said those studies confirmed the results of two previous federal studies: There's no correlation between digital signs and accidents.

In Oklahoma City, code officials have decided that all signs must be "static display only,” code technician Melody Richards said. "They do consider it a distraction.”

Some sign companies are following the code, she said. Some businesses, such as the Blazers Ice Center on Interstate 35 in south Oklahoma City, have variances allowing them to have digital signs exhibiting movement.

She said zoning officials have sent notices to other businesses, such as some Sonic restaurants, notifying them about the prohibition on sign movement.

A spokesman for Sonic Corp. said the company did not want to discuss its digital signs.

Riverwind marketing manager Hunt said the casino, which is on Indian trust land in the city limits of Goldsby, complies with all laws and codes. Since it's on-site and not readily visible from Interstate 35, the casino could use "B roll,” or standard full-motion video on its sign, Hunt said.

However, the casino has found that too much motion isn't good for business.

"What people want to know is, ‘who, where and how much,'” she said. "They don't get the full effect if it's a moving image.”

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