The safety issue of roadside advertising – comparison of polish and abu dhabi regulations

Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk, Poland

^* Corresponding author: tomasz.mackun@pg.gda.pl

Abstract

In Poland a large number of advertisements are located by the roadside. These ads do not support road traffic management and unlike the road marking system are not subject to any regulations. The advertiser’s goal is to communicate a message to as many recipients as possible. Drivers with different individual abilities, such as attention focusing, eye accommodation, speed of information processing, can be distracted, blinded or confused by the content and form of the advertising. There are elements of the road network, such as intersections, pedestrian crossings, road junctions etc. where the driver must assess the situation on the road, predict the behaviour of other users, make decisions and finally complete a manoeuvre. It all happens in a limited span of time when actions should be taken calmly with full attention. It is obvious that the attention of drivers, especially in those zones, should be focused on the task of driving. In this article, the authors present a perspective on selected national laws, and also quote Abu Dhabi’s advertising placement manual [1] as a good example of how to manage roadside advertising.