For years, electronic transport signs have been enlivening boring journeys for travelers across the US with witty comments to highlight highway safety – but not for much longer as authorities have signaled that they are to be phased out.
In December, the US Federal Highway Administration, the body in charge of highways, published its updated 1,100-page manual that covers, among other things, rules regulating traffic signs and control devices. It outlined that funny signs are to be phased out.
The Associated Press reported that overhead electronic signs containing “obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny” will be phased out in the next two years.
While some may think the US Federal Highway Administration are killjoys, there is a clear rationale behind it – they say the signs can be misunderstood or distracting to drivers.
Instead, signs will be restricted to simple, brief and clear and only used to relay important information such as upcoming traffic jams, accidents, or bad weather alerts. Reminders for drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts, as well as the dangers of speeding or driving while impaired, will also still be allowed.
It means that smile-rising signs such as ‘O-H-I-Woah! Watch your speed’ and ‘100 is the temperature, not the speed limit’ will no longer be seen.
The signs have been popular with the US public; for instance, in Arizona, the Department of Transportation has held a competition for the past seven years to find the funniest and/or most creative signs. Last year, more than 3,700 entries were received.
