No joke: Feds banning humorous electronic messages on highways

PHOENIX (AP) — It's no joke. Humorous and quirky messages written on electronic signs will soon disappear from highways across the country.

The Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement all changes outlined below. New 1,100 page manual It includes regulations specifying how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated.

Overhead electronic signs that are ambiguous, make pop culture references, or are meant to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can mislead or distract drivers, officials said. He said it was planned.

The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, says signs should be “simple, direct, concise, legible and clear” and contain important information such as warning drivers about collisions ahead, severe weather or traffic delays. Said it should only be used. Seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding and impaired driving will also be allowed.

Among the messages disappearing are messages such as “Use Yah Blinkah” from Massachusetts. “Visiting your in-laws? Slow down and arrive late” from Ohio. “Don’t Drive the Stars and Stripes Hammered,” from Pennsylvania. New Jersey's “Hocus Pocus, Concentrate on Driving.” and Arizona's “Be Behind the Wheel, Not the Diner.”

There are more than 300 electronic signs on Arizona highways. For the past seven years, the state Department of Transportation has held a contest to find the funniest, most creative message.

Anyone can submit an idea, and last year we received more than 3,700 entries. The winners were “Seat belts always pass the vibe check” and “I'm just a sign asking drivers to use their turn signals.”

“We like the humor part,” state Rep. David Cook, a Globe Republican, told Phoenix television station CBS 5.

He said he didn't understand the fuss.

“Why would you bring the federal government in and tell us what we can do in our states?” A classic example of the federal government not focusing on what it should be doing. ”