Why Pennsylvania's Funny Road Signs Are About To Be Banned
As most of us learned from our parents or in driver's education, being behind the wheel of a car is serious business. When we're out on the road, we need to maintain situational awareness. That includes carefully observing the behavior of other drivers and paying attention to road signs, even if we don't know all of the strange driving laws on the books. One moment of distraction and you could find yourself in a serious accident. If you've ever spent time driving in Pennsylvania, you've likely come across electronic changeable message signs on the road. These signs are designed to give you information on road and traffic conditions in real time including lane closures, severe weather alerts, and travel times. From time to time, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, also known as PennDOT, adds some humor to these signs.
Many drivers get a kick out of these funny road signs, which may appear during the holiday season or when PennDOT runs a safety awareness campaign. However, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has decided these signs aren't a laughing matter, and is recommending that states put an end to the practice. The FHWA says electronic road signs shouldn't use jokes, pop culture references, or unusual wording. The concern is that these messages might confuse drivers or make sense to only a small group of people, rendering the signs less effective at getting important messages across. Pennsylvania isn't the only state encouraged to rethink its use of funny road signs. While it's not a legally binding directive, the FHWA has strongly recommended that all 50 states stop using humor on electronic signs by 2026.
Federal highway funding is at stake
As drivers, we have to be aware of things like whether it's illegal to drive barefoot and why engine braking is prohibited in some areas. When we need real-time information on road conditions, we often rely on electronic signs. In the past, PennDOT has used funny messages to get drivers' attention, including the famous "Don't drive Star Spangled Hammered," meant to discourage drunk driving around the Fourth of July. If you saw this sign while out and about, you might have chuckled and received the message loud and clear. However, FHWA wants to make sure there's no room for confusion. Thus, under its new guidance, signs should be "simple, direct, brief, legible, and clear," and the FHWA believes humor could muddy the waters.
Even though the FHWA's new guidance isn't an official change in regulations, Pennsylvania will likely follow it anyway. That's because states could potentially lose federal funding and subject themselves to legal liability if they fail to comply. As a result, there's a good chance you won't see funny signs on the road in Pennsylvania or any other state after 2026. As the FHWA's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices explains it, "Messages with obscure or secondary meanings, such as those with popular culture references ... or that are intended to be humorous, should not be used as they might be misunderstood or understood only by a limited segment of road users and require greater time to process and understand."