Hey, Federal Agent, stay on your way!
New Jersey transportation officials have installed some fun and suggestive electronic highway signs urging people to slow down and avoid drinking alcohol. Federal regulators warn Humor can distract drivers.
The Garden State Department of Transportation recently installed more than 20 dad joke-style road safety messages in road lanes, incorporating summery puns and pop culture references.
“Protect Your Neck, Back… Protect Yourself! Fasten Your Seat Belt!” reads a billboard near MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, a reference to Kia's 2002 radical hip-hop hit “My Neck, My Back (Lick It).”
Another pays homage to Journey's classic rock anthem by flashing the phrase, “Never stop believing. Keep your hands on the wheel.”
Others tell drivers to fasten their seat belts and put down their cell phones.
Some say, “Let the waves crash and you'll be safe!!” others say, “Stay on the beach, not the guardrails” and “Watch the road, not your phone.”
The New Jersey Department of Transportation said it introduced seasonally themed electronic highway signs — past signs have included Valentine's Day, Christmas and Super Bowl puns — about two years ago to attract drivers' attention.
“Our goal is always to bring safety awareness and these signs do just that – encourage people to read the signs, remember them and drive safely,” spokesman Steven Shapiro said.
“The creative messaging, which begins rolling out in fall 2022, aligns with our ongoing efforts to reduce accidents and promote safer driving habits.”
But the DOT campaign is meant to be a joke on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, which said earlier this year that “humorous and quirky” highway signs are no laughing matter.
In January, the department issued new guidelines urging a strong discouragement of fun electronic highway signs, saying they could distract and confuse drivers. Instead, it asked local transportation departments to create signs that are “simple, direct, concise, easy to read and unambiguous” and to avoid phrases with “secondary meaning.”
Two years ago, the same agency reportedly ordered New Jersey officials to stop putting up cutesy, funny billboards with safety warnings like “Hold on to your butt to prevent forest fires” and “Keep your eyes off your apps.”
Federal regulators issued the ban in November 2022, about a month after the Garden State began posting the documents.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to an email sent Wednesday asking whether it had considered the federal warning before launching its summer safety campaign.
Other highway signs in New Jersey read, “Texting While Driving is a Big No,” “Go Surfing! Put Your Phone Down!” and even, “There are no summer holidays in prison. Don't Drive Fast!!”
Other states have also installed “funny” digital billboards in recent months to spread safety messages.
“Keep your hands on the wheel and keep your hands off the food,” laments one Arizona resident.
“Visiting the in-laws? Take it easy and arrive late,” jokes one Ohioan.
