Federal Highway Agency Says ‘Lights Out’ on Humorous Electronic Highway Sign Messages
January 16, 2024 8:50AM EST
FILE – This Jan. 23, 2013, file photo, shows a poor air quality sign is posted over a highway, in Salt Lake City. A powerful state board is moving to require emissions controls on smoky char broilers at hamburger joints. Other measures set to take effect in northern Utah this year will force changes in everyday products, from oven cleaners to aerosol deodorants and hair spray. It’s all part of a comprehensive plan to curb smog that hangs over the greater Salt Lake region. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (News Talk 1480 WHBC and ONN Radio) “Traffic safety can also be fun”.
Not so, says one federal agency, targeting Ohio’s humorous messages sometimes displayed on those overhead electronic highway signs.
The new Federal Highway Administration manual specifically bans those types of messages starting in 2026.
messages that are obscure and humorous and those with references to pop culture will be mothballed.
They say the messages can be distracting.
We’re talking quirky messages like “You’re not a pumpkin, don’t drive smashed’, or “What’s ho ho holding you back”; from wearing a seat belt, that is.