Bright billboard blinding drivers near Owasso

Drivers in Owasso are frustrated about a digital billboard they say is too bright.

The sign is located at Highway 169 and 66th Street North. People on the FOX23 Facebook page say it's very distracting, and they are afraid it could cause accidents. 

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says the LED Digital Display isn’t registered.

The sign is bright enough to catch anyone’s attention from nearly a mile away, but it’s distracting.

“The brightness, the lights, the danger on the highway,” said Michael Fair, he lives next to the billboard.

He says he’s been tormented by the bright billboard for the past two months. Fair told FOX23, he’s even had to make adjustments at home so his kids can get sleep.

“It’s amazing. You got to change your mini-blinds inside, from mini-blinds to blankets to keep the lights out,” he added.

However, his real concern is driving along the road at night to his home.

“You got to drive with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand over your eyes just to get down the road,” said the father.

“We have found that it is not in compliance and it is illegal,” said ODOT Spokesperson Kenna Mitchell.

She says the sign owners have a permit for the billboard but not the digital display. Mitchell also added it is illegal to have a digital display with movement. The state has given the company 90 days to get its permit and remove the movement from the display.

“We’ve heard from drivers as well that the board is very distracting not just with the movement aspect of it but from the bright lights so we’re asking that they take care of that immediately,” said Mitchell.

“You can’t see at night with it as bright as it is. It needs to be turned down, it needs to be turned off or it needs to be moved,” Fair told FOX23.

FOX23’s Dontaye Carter spoke with the sign company Wednesday. They told him there was a malfunction with the billboards UV sensor which caused the sign to be as bright at night as it was during the day.  

They say someone will be turning off the billboard Wednesday night and working on the problem in the morning.

ODOT says the company violates the Oklahoma Outdoor Advertising Control Act and the Federal Highway Beautification Act.

The company has until December 21^st to meet the states requirements.