LOUISIANA, USA — They can make us chuckle during the Christmas holiday like the one on Interstate in Baton Rouge that read “There is no reindeer named Speedy,” or they can be witty reminders with a sports reference.
“When the LSU women’s basketball team was playing in Dallas, we had a message that said driving sober is a slam dunk,” said public information director at the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Rodney Mallett.
Electronic message boards along the highways and interstates in Louisiana and around the country can sometimes come with a little fun. Messages usually mix a push for safety with funny pop culture references or catchy sayings.
“Some of the really clever ones, they just stick with you,” said Jefferson Parish resident Noah Billeaud-Lehotsky.
“I find them very witty and clever sometimes,” said Orleans Parish Driver Tristan Walton.
If you like the humor, buckle up, because laughable and quirky messages across the country will be gone by 2026, a downer to some drivers.
“I think they reinforce what we already know, and it helps other drivers,” said Walton.
According to the Federal Highway Administration they can also be distracting and misunderstood. That’s why new regulations will put the brakes on electronic messages that have secondary meanings, humor, or pop culture references.
Only brief, important messages will now be allowed to alert drivers to things like traffic conditions and warnings, which was the intent in the first place.
“Maybe they need to focus more on a different aspect of why drivers are not being safe on the road. I really don’t think these road signs are it,” said Billeaud-Lehotsky.
A slew of regulations on signs and traffic devices went out last month. States have two years to comply.
“While we try to be clever to a point, we try to keep it to a safety message,” said Mallett.
Mallett says Louisiana started tying in humor with safety messages about eight years ago but rarely uses overly clever messages. When a message with a little humor is up though, it’s a hit.
“It was great because we knew that people were paying attention to those messages,” said Mallett.
In Mississippi the state holds a contest every year for the best messages.
“The public, they love it. I think it really resonates with them,” said Mississippi Department of Transportation public information officer Michael Flood.
One lets drivers know that speeding tickets aren’t cheap. It reads “A heavy foot will lead to an empty wallet.”
“If they tell us that we need to cut that out then we’ll fall in behind it and do that,” said Flood.
There’s also a pop culture reference sign, reminding drivers to slow down. It reads “Quit trying to make FAST happen. Slow down.” That’s a reference to the movie “Mean Girls.”
“I feel like we have done a good job of incorporating humor and cleverness into these types of messages without going overboard,” said Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Brad White. “Hopefully there will be a way to continue using these boards in an effective but acceptable manner.”
“At the end of the day, they’re trying to put a good message through,” said Billeaud-Lehotsky.
A message that will now have to be more neutral. Mike McDaniel, WWL Louisiana.
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