LED screens raise crash risks: expert

LED screens raise crash risks: expert

Illegal advert boards point to corruption

A corruption watchdog warned Bangkok is facing a new risk of accidents caused by LED advertising screens put up too close to expressways, and a large number of illegal billboards along roadsides.

"Many of them, especially lights and pictures from the so-called movie screens, can easily distract motorists especially at night while others which pop up without permission may not be erected on strong structures," Mana Nimitmongkok, secretary-general of Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand wrote on his Facebook yesterday.

"I have yet to discover evidence of bribes behind this act but believe everyone in Bangkok has seen these billboards," Mr Mana wrote.

By law, these banners cannot be put up within 50 metres of expressways, but it appears this rule is ignored.

Again, he said, it came to a question over whether these screens were granted permission from the Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat).

The anti-corruption advocate said he does not have a record of accidents caused by the LED screens.

However, he said a study published in 2015, titled "The Impact of Billboards on Driver Visual Behaviour", said 6-9% of road accidents in the US resulted from distractions such as roadside billboards.

"According to the BMA, in 2018, up to 23%, or 244, of all 1,079 cutouts in the capital were illegal," Mr Mana said. "That raised the question of how the BMA let them get there."

He said the cutouts may have been built and installed in a sub-standard manner, and could collapse in strong winds, posing risks to people nearby.

Also, these illegal billboards have an economic impact -- first in terms of losses to government agencies that forego tax revenue and in terms of unfair economic competition among companies.

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