Driven To Distraction

Drive down some streets in Los Angeles, and it's hard to keep your eyes on the road. Signs everywhere. Billboards selling everything from sex to smoking. You'd think motorists would be immune by now.

But there is one billboard off Interstate 405 that is driving drivers to distraction.

Indeed from a distance, it looks like the building is burning — that flames have eaten away an office building leaving a gaping hole with only sky visible. There is even a firefighter with a hose putting out the flames.

"We thought it was a fire there," one driver said.

It's so realistic, there have been traffic jams and slowdowns ever since the sign went up as drivers break to see the billboard. Once they pass the sign, they just proceed.

It may be maddening if you're running late. But if it's the job of a billboard to get people to pay attention, in this case, it's a job well done.

KCBS Reporter Jennifer Sabih