Driving your distraction with technology
When you're in your car, how distracted are you? You've got your cell phone, radio, GPS, and maybe a television or two.
All that technology is competing for your attention, taking your eyes off the road.
Now, some cities are worried about how technology outside your car -- specifically electronic billboards -- could distract you even further.
The new billboards emit static images that are lighted from within and crisp like a 35 millimeter photo. But they also are capable of changing messages every few seconds. Municipalities around the country are complaining that the signs are dangerous. At least a dozen states have passed laws banning them.
Ben Fry is a visiting professor of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching courses in time motion and communication. He says the ability of the signs to change images frequently is what makes them both appealing and controversial.