Do Road Side Information Signs Really Help Find The Missing?

I recently saw a sign on 360 that said, “Missing Elderly, White GMC truck, License BS5 FTGX”. I instantly started scanning the cars around me simply out of curiosity. Then I thought to myself, “I wonder if this type of information on an electronic road sign really works”? I guess it does to an extent because it prompted me to look at the cars in my vicinity. However, 5 minutes down the road it was getting harder to remember what I read. Had I continued further down the road, I probably would have encountered another sign, and would probably have done the same simple search of my surroundings.

I guess I’m answering my question here. Do road side signs work? From my perspective, the answer is “Yes, they do work” to the extent of making drivers survey their immediate surroundings. Subsequently and hopefully, every driver in front and behind me did the same thing.

Here in the Dallas Fort Worth area, we have electronic roadside signs on almost every highway and loop and my question is, “Do they work in regards to finding missing persons”?

  • Do you do notice the signs?
  • Did you scan the area looking for the vehicle mentioned?
  • Was that person found as a result of an attentive driver?

I’m curious to know if other driver’s are as attentive as I apparently am in regards to noticing roadside information. I’m also really curious if anyone has been found as a direct result of a electronic roadside sign.

I can say without a doubt that me and everyone else at Freeman Grapevine would like to see more information sign systems in place in the future. The more signs that are up just means that many more drivers will notice them…or will they? Leave me a comment below and tell me what you think.