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• The U.S. Federal Highway Administration, in an effort to suck any remaining fun from highway commutes, has laid down the law: By 2026, states must ban messages on electronic highway signs that include references to pop culture or evoke a laugh.
Examples: "Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late" from Ohio; "Use Yah Blinkah" from Massachusetts; and "Hocus Pocus, Drive With Focus" from New Jersey.
The Associated Press reported that the agency wants the signs to be "simple, direct, brief, legible and clear" because clever messages might distract or confuse drivers.
One Arizona state representative, David Cook of Globe, was underwhelmed: "Prime example that the federal government is not focusing on what they need to be." [AP, 1/14/2024]