The digital age has changed the face of advertising but not without some complications. Right now if you are watching me on your big high definition screen remember it was just a few years ago that a 32 inch analog screen was a big deal. Today some sets are reaching 80 inches and more and high definition makes the picture just about perfect with no scanning lines. Cell phones are great except kids and adults have to learn that texting while driving can cost you your life. Now comes another huge driving distraction in the digital age. Digital billboards. Scenic Missouri is dead set against them with one executive from Missouri calling these billboards, “television on a stick.” Many cities are on the move to get them banned. The messages change between four and ten seconds and even cast out a green blinking light at night in neighborhoods that are blocks away. The billboard industry is fighting tooth and nail to keep them on the highways and streets. Look at this picture from I-75 near Detroit and you can see how distracting this could be for the drivers going by. Since 2010 digital billboards have grown from 1,800 to 4,000 according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. Much of this problem stems from the federal government relaxing the ban on signs on federal highways back in 2007. That one is now back in the courts to be reversed. Look, I have always believed that television is the best advertising medium in the world with sight, sound, color, motion and emotion. However, the television set does not belong in the front seat of a car. There are enough distractions for safe driving today but having television on a stick on the highways is downright troublesome and dangerous. What are your thoughts?Digital Billboards