We need to talk about how we use electronic highway billboards in this country

Well, I guess we don’t need to discuss electronic highway billboards. But I can’t think of anything to write about, so here we are.

I like the billboards that tell me how much time it takes to get to a certain point. This lets me know whether I can relax during my commute on 202 or if I will scream so loud that all the birds will fly out of the trees if I see “6 miles, 16 minutes.”

So it annoys me during the winter weather when all the signs switch over to saying some variation of “Winter Weather—Use Caution.” I know it’s snowing; I can actually see it from my car. If you’re so out of it that you can’t see snow while driving through it, you probably shouldn’t be behind the wheel. It would be much more practical for those billboards to give drivers information on how bad the traffic ahead is so they can plan a different route or mentally prepare themselves to fume as the highway becomes a parking lot.

The Amber alerts are a good use of the signs. I try to memorize the license plate and be on the lookout for the car but then I feel bad because I usually forget the information in a few minutes.

Some of the electronic billboards that say “Don’t drive distracted” can be distracting. The one on I-95 South near the Delaware state line is always bad. I’ll be straining to see if it’s an important message and it’s always like “Don’t drive drunk” or something I’m already not doing. Or it’s some cutesy safety message that is going to get people into an accident as they strain to read it. It’s something about the way it flashes slowly that can be distracting. It might be better just to say nothing and let people drive in peace.  

In conclusion, this concludes our discussion.