Did you ever have a sourpuss relative who could never crack a smile? Well, maybe you really do. It seems “Uncle Sam” doesn’t have a sense of humor. The proof is in the ruling: Funny highway signs are OUT.
Distracting? Misleading?
A new, 1,100-page federal regulations manual from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration says states have just two years to clean up their act. Funny messages on electronic highway signs above interstates and U.S. highways must go.
Why is Sam such a sourpuss? Funny highway signs are out, say officials, because they can distract drivers or be misunderstood. The new rules say when 2026 rolls around, “ha ha” signage is verboten. Now electronic signage must be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear.” No tongue-in-cheek about seat belts. No puns about dashboard dining. Boredom will rule as signs will only be allowed to warn about such humorous dangers as frozen pavement, multi-car crashes, traffic slowdowns, etc. Oh, you may be reminded that speeding, drinking and driving, and going without seatbelts is dangerous.
Uncle Sam like an Arizona wildcat
This writing team frequents Arizona’s big slab, Interstate 10. The occasional e-sign puns can break up an otherwise monotonous drive. We’ll miss them. Apparently Uncle Sam is like the Arizona wildcat, spoken of in the Grand Canyon State limerick:
There was a young fellow from Yuma
Who tried to tell jokes to a puma.
His bones now lie under hot western skies–
The puma had no sense of huma.
And apparently, neither do the rule makers in Washington. Funny highway signs are out.
##RVT1140b
1100 pages to say “no more humorous signs”? More government craziness, and money and time wasted on this. Sigh . . .
They don’t have time to past the budget, they have all the time needed to eliminate humor.
Maybe they should eliminate all their humorous arguments!
I always thought it was a good way to draw attention to the message board warnings.
Then you have the sign “Texting Can Wait Don’t Drive Distracted”. Of course you have to take you eyes off the road to read it.
Or 10 minutes to EXIT XXX. Then the driver just speed up.
The DOT’s need to find more important things to with all their money. Like FIX the roads.
Having just been shaken senseless on I-10 on the way to Arizona, I suggest more emphasis on road repaving and less on signage.
Just ANOTHER fine example of our tax dollars at work!!! SMH!
1100 pages???!!! That silliness could have been done in one page. The other 1099 pages are for building bridges to nowhere, millions of dollars to perform studies on how frogs fall in love, more millions for research to find out if it snows above the artic circle, etc, etc. etc. Used to be, we ran politicians out of town on a rail, but only after they were tarred and feathered. Guess who made that against the law? Shameful.
Thank ypu, Russ and Tina! I didn’t know about the puma with no huma, but do now. 🙂 Thank you! 🙂
Any public comment period on this? They might be shocked…
Hahahahahaha.