It’s no joke. Humorous and quirky messages on electronic signs will soon disappear from highways and freeways across the country.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement all the changes outlined in its new 1,100-page manual released last month, including rules that spells out how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated.
Administration officials said overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be misunderstood or distracting to drivers.
Isn’t the point to keep drivers awake by entertaining them? I’ve always been told the challenge of long road driving is the monotonousity, and aside from that it’s easier since everyone is travelling in the same direction at the same speed
Monotony
No, the point is to get people to pay attention to the sign.
A little humor helps.
It’s like the homeless guy with the sign that says “Why lie? I want beer.”
I’ve only given money to pan handlers twice.
The first time the guy came up and said, “Hey, man, got any spare change? Nigga needs to get drunk.”
The second time was a group of guys searching for change in their car, and one asked if I had a quarter or something because they were trying to scrape together enough for a dime bag.
This was in Baton Rouge where every gas station had a resident drug addict with some crazy bullshit story about why they needed money, so I appreciated the honesty.