Tough crowd? Feds putting end to ‘humorous’ highway signs to prioritize safety

News

By Alyssa Guzman

The feds aren’t laughing…

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is cracking down on “humorous” digital signs that have been cracking smiles on drivers all across the US.

The days an Ohio highway tells drivers to “slow down” to arrive at the in-laws late or a New Jersey road advising Halloween fans to “Hocus Pocus, drive with focus” will soon be gone.

In December, the FHWA released its latest manual for road managers nationwide, advising that messaging should be “simple, direct, brief, legible, and clear.”

Thinking the above examples fit the bill?

Well, not the FHWA, which advised that signs with “secondary meanings,” like pop culture references that are “intended to be humorous” should be cut because there’s the off-chance that it “requires greater time to process and understand.”

Massachusetts will no longer be able to warn drivers to “use yah blinkah” and Arizonans will no longer see “just a sign asking a driver to use turn signals,” among the many other hilarious signs popping up along the interstates.

“FHWA believes these are important considerations as not to diminish respect for the sign when used in other traffic-related scenarios for regulatory, warning, and guidance under prevailing conditions,” the manual reads.

“The safety of all road users is the priority,” a spokesperson told Axios. “States are expected to exercise good judgment in how and when they use changeable message signs for traffic safety messages, and in their specific wording of the messages.”

But don’t be sad just yet! The government agency is giving state transportation departments two years to go on their victory laps and crack their best jokes before the rule goes completely into effect.

The crackdown isn’t the first time the government got fed up with states’ quirky signs.

New Jersey found itself in the crosshairs of FHWA in 2022, with the agency swiftly banning their signs like: “Hold onto your butts — help prevent forest fires,” “Get your head out of your apps,” and “We’ll be blunt. Don’t drive high,” among others.

“The FHWA has instructed us to cease posting these creative safety messages,” an NJ DOT spokesman said at the time.