When you’re on a road trip, there are some things you just expect to see. Gas stations. License plates from across the country. Depending on where you’re traveling, cows.
You may even see street and highway lights that are supposed to be white, but instead are purple (here’s why they’re that color).
And of course, you will see signs. Lots and lots of signs.
Many of the signs you’ll see on highways are billboards to advertise everything from tourist attractions to restaurants to adult book shops. You’ll also see road signs – green ones that will tell you how many miles until the next exit or blue ones that say when to expect the next rest stop, or other places important to travelers, such as hotels, gas stations, or restaurants.
And then there are more modern signs, usually electronic ones. Because they’re electronic, they can change at a whim, to let you know about upcoming traffic conditions, a Silver alert, etc. And the U.S. Federal Highway Administration has determined a change for these signs: they’re going to ban humorous messages on them.
You probably know the kind I mean. They usually give warnings about inappropriate driver behavior, like making sure not use your turn signal:
PC: MA DOT
Or not going over the speed limit:
PC: MS DOT
Or a warning about using a car seat for little ones:
PC: MS DOT
Or a reminder to use seat belts:
PC: UT DOT
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that each state has 2 years to make all the changes in the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s newest manual (it’s the 11th edition), which was released this past December. There are plenty of changes in the 1000-page manual that will affect those in charge of the country’s roadways, but one that will indirectly affect drivers is the ban on humorous electronic messages on highways.
Administration officials said that overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings (i.e. #YOLO), references to pop culture (i.e. Baby Yoda) or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be misunderstood or distracting to drivers (read: drivers take photos of the signs as they’re driving).
Instead, they want signs to be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear” and only be used for important information such as warning drivers of crashes ahead, adverse weather conditions and traffic delays (although seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving impaired will also be allowed – just not with a sense of humor).
In short, they don’t want messages that could “adversely affect respect for the sign.” Instead, they want a more straightforward example of a traffic-campaign safety message: “UNBUCKLED SEAT BELTS FINE + POINTS.”
I get it. I really do. But the road is certainly going to start to become a little more boring. No worries, though – electronic billboards will still be allowed, and they change every X number of seconds…they’re not distracting at all… #rolleyes
Anyway, the rules went into effect on January 18, 2023. However, states have two years to implement the ruling.
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