Posted on 01/15/2024 6:07:12 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
It’s no joke. Humorous and quirky messages on electronic signs will soon disappear from highways and freeways across the country.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement all the changes outlined in its new 1,100-page manual released last month, including rules that spells out how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated.
Administration officials said overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be misunderstood or distracting to drivers.
The agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said signs should be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear” and only be used for important information such as warning drivers of crashes ahead, adverse weather conditions and traffic delays. Seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving impaired are also allowed.
Among those that will be disappearing are messages such as “Use Yah Blinkah” in Massachusetts; “Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late,” from Ohio; “Don’t drive Star Spangled Hammered,” from Pennsylvania; “Hocus pocus, drive with focus” from New Jersey; and “Hands on the wheel, not your meal” from Arizona.
Arizona has more than 300 electronic signs above its highways. For the last seven years, the state Department of Transportation has held a contest to find the funniest and most creative messages.
Anyone could submit ideas, drawing more than 3,700 entries last year. The winners were “Seatbelts always pass a vibe check” and “I’m just a sign asking drivers to use turn signals.”
“The humor part of it, we kind of like,” said state Rep. David Cook, a Republican from Globe, told Phoenix TV station CBS 5. “I think in Arizona the majority of us do, if not all of us."
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
99% of the time those signs are a complete waste. By my, they tell how many miles to the next state border. The state spent millions to tell me absolutely nothing.
More often than not any alerts are long past being necessary by the time they get posted.
The phone emergency alert is another one. I received one a few weeks ago that alerted me to some police action nearby.
Well, if nearby really includes two counties and about 40 miles away, I guess it was important.
They always seemed idiotically distracting to me.
Absent evidence, I’ll blame the folks from Oklahoma. They’ve obviously been offended by the signs on the expressway on Texas OU weekend -”HORNS UP, PHONES DOWN”
No Joke: Dept of Transportation are poo poo heads.
Making way for mandatory messages like...
“All undocumented immigrants must report to HHS for free phone and debit card”
alternating with...
“Todos los inmigrantes indocumentados deben reportarse al HHS para obtener teléfono y tarjeta de débito gratis”
Recall one many years ago, we were driving from San Diego to San Francisco up 5, got dark and there was a light sign flashing, backed us up for 5 miles slowed down to 15 mph from 70, sign said Have a nice day.
Traffic signs are for safety and information.not humor. Just as the federal government regulates the signage at every entrance to every factory in the US so should traffic signs be regulated.
I've never seen that on an electronic sign. I do appreciate informational signs like "I 30 - 15 miles, 12 minutes" in Dallas. Much more useful than 'congestion ahead'.
How many millions and years were wasted on this outdated technology?
During the covid lockdowns, I did a lot of traveling for my job because I truly didn’t care about the glorified flu.
The commies up in Maine had bunches of LED signs on the freeway that basically said Go Away. Maine is closed.
Well, I drove right past them and conducted my business.
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