By Jadyn Soares ‘25, News Editor​​

Image of Maine road sign telling drivers “Santa sees you when you’re speeding”, Image courtesy of NBC4 Washington

“Hands on the Wheel, Not Your Meal”

“Texting and Driving: Oh Cell No!”

“Get Your Head out of Your Apps!”

These are a few examples of the humorous road warnings that have popped up on America’s highway signs in recent years. However, within the next year, these messages may become extremely hard to find. Federal officials have begun to crack down on these highway signs, reasoning that humorous messages could be distracting or misunderstood. While the United States government has not opted to ban these signs altogether, a recent statement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) warned local officials that unclear, or humorous, messaging should not be used. According to the FHA, state and local officials must implement road signs that “fulfill a need; command attention; convey a clear, simple message; command respect; and provide adequate time for a proper response.” 

However, local governments believe that humorous signs command better attention than the boring, traditional “Don’t Text and Drive.” Paul Katool, a representative of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, told the New York Times that one sign in Mississippi drew attention because it referenced the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”: “Texting and Driving? Say It: I’m the Problem. It’s Me.” Maine’s Department of Transportation even held a funny sign contest, receiving nearly 2,000 entries from the general public — a clear demonstration of the attention that such signage grabs. Additionally, according to The New York Times, a study conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation discovered that “messages that include humor, and messages that use wordplay and rhymes rank high among multiple measures of effectiveness in promoting safer driving.”

Many local officials deliberately implement the culture of their regions in their highway signs to better appeal to their drivers. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation told drivers to “Use Yah Blinkah,”  a play on the distinctive Boston accent, and New Jersey paid homage to native Bruce Springsteen with a message that warned drivers to “Slow Down. This Ain’t Thunder Road.” 

While state officials believe that the best way to bring attention to safe driving practices is by creating signs that people will read, remember, and follow, the federal government recommends that highway signs remain to the point, no more than 16 words.

To better understand how this issue relates to students at Newark Academy, I asked a few student drivers to share their thoughts on road signs. Akshra Yagnik ‘25 stated: “I like the funny road signs and feel like they are good” because if they “weren’t funny, I wouldn’t remember” them. Meanwhile, Ivie Drogin ‘25 responded: “I would be more likely to pay attention to the sign [if it was creative], but not necessarily more likely to listen to the message.” She also stated that since she is “more likely to pay attention to [a funny] sign, [she would have to take her] focus off the road for a split second just to read the sign,” meaning that “for whatever time it takes for [her] to read the sign, [her] eyes and mind are not on the road.” Additionally, Laura Kim ‘25 thinks that humorous messages give her “a good laugh, but could also see how they might distract a driver.”                                                                                    

Local authorities are now faced with the delicate task of weighing the distractions caused by humorous road signs against the proven effectiveness of such messages in promoting safe driving — a decision that will not only shape the future of highway messages but also impact daily driving experiences for all Americans. So, the next time you notice a funny road sign, perhaps one that tells you: “Don’t Drive Star Spangled Hammered” or “Visiting In-Laws? Slow Down, Get There Late,” cherish your chuckle, because it may be one of the last times a highway warning makes you laugh.