“Messages with… popular culture references… or that are intended to be humorous should not be used,” officials say.
It may be the end of the road for funny traffic signs.
Humorous signs about serious safety warnings like “Work Zones: We Don’t Speed Thru Your Office,” and “Drive Safe: Even Barbie Buckles Up,” are being cracked down on by those who say driving and laughing could be a dangerous combination.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration released a 1,100-page manual that noes that by 2026, all electronic signs should no longer display humorous messages.
In new guidelines, officials say, “Messages with… popular culture references… or that are intended to be humorous should not be used.”
New Jersey police sergeant Benjamin Fox agrees with the upcoming crackdown.
“I could see how it could be distracting,” Fox says. “Simple message, ‘Don’t text and drive,’ ‘Don’t drink and drive,’ gets the point across without the humor."
But Paul Katool of the Mississippi Department of Transportation says he is disappointed that funny signs will soon be a thing of the past. Katool runs monthly brainstorming sessions with his staff to come up with clever highway signs. One of his favorite signs was inspired by rock song “Whole Lotta Love,” by Led Zeppelin. The highway sign he came up with read, “We Got A Whole Lot Of Love For Safe Drivers.”
“We feel like they’ve actually done real good and maybe hopefully saved some lives,” Katool says.
