By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
It’s no joke. The Federal Highway Administration has ordered the state Department of Transportation to cut the shenanigans and eliminate signs that use humor to encourage better driver behavior.
Since 2019, the NJDOT has run digital highway messages across various platforms intended to put a smile on drivers’ faces. “Don’t Cruise When Boozed,” “Nice Car, Did it Come With a Turn Signal?”, and “Slow Down. This Ain’t Thunder Road” are among the beloved communications.
Perhaps beloved isn’t the right word. NJDOT spokesman Stephen Schapiro confirmed that use of the humorous safety messages was discontinued last week, by order of the Federal Highway Administration, but declined to comment on why.
Opponents of the signs argue that the messages require a specific cultural knowledge that not all possess, causing only a majority to understand the rule rather than unanimity. For example, “We’ll be Blunt. Don’t Drive When High” expects the audience to recognize that smoking marijuana often involves the use of a blunt.
Schapiro defended the decision through an email published by The Philadelphia Inquirer citing the Manual of Traffic Control Devices which reads, “The display of the associated safety message should be limited to provide optimum impact and must be relevant to the roadway type on which it is displayed.”
Primarily, the digital signs must be used to communicate real-time updates on road conditions and traffic. Secondarily, they must state direct safety regulations to be easily understood by the general public.
The messages went viral multiple times on Twitter and Facebook, the brainchild of clever staffers at NJDOT. The department fears that drivers may be tempted to photograph the signs while they are navigating busy highways, causing accidents, injuries or even deaths.
New Jersey isn’t the first state to apply humor to roadway signs. “Use Ya Blinkah,” written in Boston slang, was a popular iteration in the state of Massachusetts. Arizona has also developed a reputation for making drivers giggle as they travel from place to place.
The entire 12-member New Jersey congressional delegation has come together and expressed their disagreement with the federal decision. Democrats and Republicans have united behind the cause arguing that the witty highway signs should not be taken down in a letter to Stephanie Pollack, Federal Highway Administration acting director.
“These quintessential New Jersey messages have had a significant, positive reception around the state, and have helped to alert in-state and out-of-state motorists to take reasonable precautions,” the Nov. 22 letter states. “Unconventional and creative methods for solving our common problems is a core part of what makes New Jersey an exceptional place to call home.”
To memorialize these Pulitzer-Prize-worthy signs, here are some of the best messages from the past three years:
Get Your Head Out of Your Apps
Hocus Pocus Drive With Focus
Mash Potatoes, Not Your Head
It Just Clicks. Wear Your Seatbelt
Hold Onto Your Butts. Prevent Forest Fires
Be a Dear. Watch for Wildlife
Ziti is the Only Thing That Should be Baked
Don’t Be a Knucklehead
Slow Down, Get There Late
