Observed driver glance behavior at roadside advertising signs

Express routes in North America are becoming more crowded, both in traffic density and in visual clutter. Higher demand for driver attention is a possible concern for regulators. Advertising signs add to this demand on visual attention. This study focused on the glance behavior of 25 drivers at various advertising signs along an expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The average duration of the glances for the subjects was 0.57 s [standard deviation (SD) = 0.41], and in total there was an average of 35.6 glances per subject (SD = 26.4). Active signs that contained movable displays or components made up 51% of the signs and received significantly more glances (69% of all glances and 78% of long glances). The number of glances was significantly lower for passive signs (0.64 glances per subject per sign) than for active signs (greater than 1.31 glances per subject per sign). The number of long glances was also greater for active signs than for passive signs. Sign placement in the visual field may be critical to a sign being noticed or not. Empirical information is provided to assist regulatory agencies in setting policy on commercial signing.