Sign Codes and Traffic Safety

It is common practice for city planners to use sign codes that are developed by other cities (and therefore do not have real bearing to their own cities) or they make use of extremely strict rules because they believe signs are “eyesores” and will cause injuries and accidents by distracted drivers.

This is really not the case especially when good signage is installed. After all, not all signs are created equal and some are just better than others. There are simply some signs that are built better and designed better so they still convey the right message but are easy on the eyes and never distracting. These signs were made with the city’s needs in mind and are made to direct and grab attention but never distract.

Static Signs of the Yester-year

For generation upon generation, signs have been static. They really only ever displayed one message and some of them would carry the same signs and messages for years. However, leaps and bounds made in technology used for information display in recent years have changed that and business owners and city planners can now opt for digital signs. These signs are particularly useful when used as on- and off-premise signs for businesses. These on-premise signs have the ability to display a wide variety of messages so they allow a business to really “talk” to old and potential customers alike.

These digital signs represent a massive shift and advancement in communication technology that have an impressive ability to deliver valuable marketing information to customers. After all, there is nothing quite like an attractive sign that you can use to convey to potential customers why they need to do business with you. You can use the signs to tell them about new deals and promos as well as advertise brand new products on display and for sale within the hour.

Traffic Concerns and LED Signage

There is no denying that such signs can bring a world of good to business but some groups have their concerns about such signs especially when it comes to traffic safety and business signs that change content in a regular basis. These groups state that drivers might get distracted seeing as they might feel the need to take their eyes off the road and read what new message these business signs have put up for them instead.

These safety concerns are usually addressed by way of local regulations concerning electronic LED sign boards; they might limit or prohibit the use of these on-premise signs. The fact of the matter is that these regulations mostly stem from the local level and there is no scientific research data or national based surveys and research that support the implementation of such regulations.

In fact, what these city planners and city managers fail to take into account is that their static signs might just be doing more harm than good. To put it plainly, signs do NOT distract drivers or cause accidents - it is small or hidden signs that are the real culprits for road accidents among other reasons.

For businesses that are having issues with sign codes in your respective cities, you may pay a visit to the United States Sign Council. They have lots of information that you can use to counter bad sign codes in your city.