No joke: Feds are banning humorous electronic messages on highways

Channel 3000 News/AP ^ | January 15, 2024 | AP Staff

[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."

[discostu]

There is always of course of not paying attention. I know the govt has paid for multiple that all said we have to many freaking signs. And I think they add more after every study. I think these light up boards the new rules are about came right after one of those.

[JimSp]

I didn’t say “NEW” regulations. Nice narcissistic tactic on slipping that in. Haha! Bye now.

[discostu]

You said more. Which implies new since that’s the only way to get more. So now not only are you an idiot, you’re aldo a LIAR. Nice narcissistic tactic for just generally being a waste of bits.

[griswold3]

Classic! I want a road sign to share those

[JimSp]

So I was right… whenever you accuse someone of being a narcissist or acting like one, they will almost ALWAYS turn around and without irony accuse you of the same thing. I’ve had an intense couple of years of becoming well versed in narcissism after being forced to interact with a couple bad cases. I “smelled it” with your first reply to me, but now you have pretty much proven it.

There’s other indicators coming from you:

Whatever I say, can and will be twisted by you to attack me. Check!

Cannot admit being wrong. Check!

So, now that I have confirmed it to my satisfaction, time to implement what I have learned from the last two years. I will completely disengage from you. You no longer exist to me. (You on the other hand, will HAVE to respond to this,because your types cannot stand to not have the last word.).

Take your dysfunction elsewhere.

PS. I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve been accused of being a narcissist. I also bet that even if you were, you will deny it. That’s just how y’all roll.

[shoff]

I used to do a daily commute from Long Island to New York City. After they put up those electronic signs it would infuriate me when traffic would slow down so people could read “Traffic moving well”.
Thank god it wasn’t in cursive.