The Feds say funny highway signs are unsafe, but states have been using them to get your attention for years. Here are some of the best ones.
Bianca Giacobone
A Mississippi roadside safety sign with a reference to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” hit song. The Mississippi Department of Transportation has been using funny roadside safety signs since 2018.Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Transportation
- In 2022, federal officials told New Jersey to stop displaying its 'quirky' roadside safety messages.
- Federal guidelines want states to keep the signs simple to avoid the risk of distracting drivers.
Do you know that witty sign that sometimes blinks on the side of a highway, promoting safety? It's funny, right? It certainly caught your eye. But did it distract you from driving?
A Mississippi roadside safety sign: "Four I's in Mississippi, two eyes on the road." Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
States all over the country have been using 'quirky' roadside signs to make drivers pay attention to safety reminders to slow down, use turn signals, and buckle up their security belts.
The Ohio Department of Transportation started using the signs in 2015. Messages have included “Don't Drive Sauced, Leave It To The Cranberries," and “Santa sees you when you’re speeding!" Courtesy of the Ohio Department of Transportation
The 'changeable message signs may be used by state and local highway agencies to display safety messages, transportation-related messages, emergency homeland security messages, and America's Missing,' according to the Federal Highway Administration.
The Iowa Department of Transportation launched its own roadside safety signs program in 2013 as "Message Mondays" and it renamed it in 2021 as "Roadside Chat." Courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation
But states like Iowa, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada, just to name a few, have been putting their own twist on them for years, in an effort to make drivers pay attention and reduce traffic deaths.
A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation roadside safety sign during Independence Day, urging drivers to drive sober. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Federal officials are not so sure the practice is safe. They worry that 'unconventional' wording or syntax could be more distracting than anything else.
The Missouri Department of Transportation had its own problems with officials wanting the signs to stick to formal messages. Back in 2019, a state representative filed a bill to prohibit the department "from using roadside dynamic message signs to convey information not related to traffic conditions, weather, or emergency alerts." Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation
In late 2022, the New Jersey Department of Transportation unveiled new humorous signs. Many drivers posted them on social media, so much so that the department posted a tweet urging not to take pictures of the signs while driving.
A New Jersey Department of Transportation roadside safety sign with a reference to cannabis. New Jersey legalized the use of recreational cannabis in 2020. Courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
Source: New Jersey DOT
Just a few weeks after the signs' debut, Robert Clark of the Federal Highway Administration told New Jersey to 'cease and desist,' as reported by the Washington Post, claiming that the use of messages 'does not serve a highway purpose, is inconsistent with both law and regulations.'
"Hocus pocus drive with focus." Courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
Source: Washington Post
New Jersey complied, with some grumbles. Senator Cory Booker reportedly wrote to the Federal Highway Administration asking why just New Jersey got rebuked, when a lot of states are using the signs.
"Nice car," said a New Jersey safety sign. "Does it come with a turn signal?" Other popular messages included "Slow down, this ain't Thunder road," and "Hold onto your butts — help prevent forest fires." Courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
The tradition is so popular that some states, like Nevada, hold contests and encourage drivers to submit entries for the messages.
Nevada has held contests for popular roadside safety messages. "With over 90% of U.S. crashes caused in part by driver behavior, the message boards are an important driving safety reminder," the Nevada Department of Transportation's website says. Courtesy of the Nevada Department of Transportation
And states like to time their roadside safety messages with holidays.
A Valentine's Day safety message in Nevada. Courtesy of the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Some researchers, like Tripp Shealy at Virginia Tech, claim that non-traditional safety messages are highly effective, because they force the drivers' to engage their brains more.
"Turn signal, the original instant message." Courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation
Source: VDOT
The debate over whether the signs are better or worse for safety on the road than traditional ones has not been solved.
The quote comes from the 1989 film Field of Dreams, in which actor Ray Liotta asks Kevin Coster, "Is this heaven?" Coster smiles and replies, "No. It's Iowa." Courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation
On the other hand, research by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine' Transportation Research Board recommended that 'agencies do not attempt to incorporate humor or pop culture references' into the messages.
"100 is the temperature, not the speed limit." Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Transportation
According to the Washington Post, some states like Virginia and Pennsylvania tried to find a compromise by having a committee vet the messages using federal guidelines.
The Ozark is a touristic region in Missouri. Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation
The Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which issues standards for road signs, among other things, and which last edition dates back to 2009, should be updated by May of 2023. A 2020 draft of the revision is not in favor of the humorous messages.
"Buckle up #YOLO" Courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation
A Mississippi roadside safety message saying: "Baby Yoda uses the Force but still needs a carseat."
"Baby Yoda uses the Force but still needs a carseat." Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Transportation
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