It's no joke. Humorous and quirky messages on electronic signs will soon disappear from highways and freeways across the country.
The funny messages have been a hallmark of the holiday season for Garden State drivers.
In December, drivers on New Jersey highways would see signs reading "Text and Drive Automatic Naughty List" or "Reckless drivers are worse than the fruitcake."
The DOT said the goal is to promote safer driving habits and prevent crashes. However, not everyone agrees that this is mission accomplished.
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"People are distracted enough already and the messages are just too long," a driver told NBC New York. "They should say drive safely or slow down."
Apparently, the federal government agrees.
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.
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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.
The agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said signs should 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. Seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving impaired are also allowed.
Among those that will be disappearing are messages such as "Use Yah Blinkah" in Massachusetts; "Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late," from Ohio; "Don't drive Star Spangled Hammered," from Pennsylvania; "Hocus pocus, drive with focus" from New Jersey; and "Hands on the wheel, not your meal" from Arizona.
In 2022, the federal government ordered New Jersey to take down a different set of messages.
Signs that had messages like "Nice car, did it come with a turn signal?" and "Get your head out of your apps" were deemed too distracting and with meanings that were not clear.
Arizona has more than 300 electronic signs above its highways. For the last seven years, the state Department of Transportation has held a contest to find the funniest and most creative messages.
Anyone could submit ideas, drawing more than 3,700 entries last year. The winners were "Seatbelts always pass a vibe check" and "I'm just a sign asking drivers to use turn signals."
The Federal Highway Administration has the ultimate say on the highway signs.
