A new study which was published on science.org found that electronic signs which are meant to alert people to dangers on the road actually cause an increase in car wrecks as distracted drivers stare at the sign. The researchers studied traffic around areas that had signs displaying year-to-date road fatalities and found that the number of vehicle crashes increased, on average, by 4.5% in the 6.2 miles following the fatality-statistic message. Researchers believe that the signs put excessive demands on drivers’ attention and information processing abilities in what is known as cognitive load.
