Feds Get Serious: No Funny Electronic Highway Signs by 2026

Are you kidding me? This must be a joke. Except that it isn’t.

In the spirit of Tommy Lee Jones’ character in Men in Black—“We at the FBI do not have a sense of humor we are aware of”—the U.S. Federal Highway Administration is banning humorous messages on electronic signs that appear on our highways and freeways.

According to the Associated Press and other news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, states have two years to implement all of the changes outlined in the agency’s new 1100-page manual, which includes restrictions on “General Information Signs” like electronic message boards. The manual explains that signage 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, as well as seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving while impaired.

“A CMS [changeable message sign] should not be used to display a traffic safety campaign message if doing so could adversely affect respect for the sign,” the manual reads. “Messages with obscure or secondary meanings, such as those with popular culture references, unconventional sign legend syntax, 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.”

That’s bad news for those who enjoy the jokes, puns, and pop-culture references used by many states as a way to draw attention to important messages. Among those highlighted by the Associated Press: “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.

Non-compliance with the new standards, which go into effect in 2026, could cost states federal assistance. Local officials may even end up in court.

Arizona state Rep. David Cook (R), whose state has more than 300 electronic signs along its highways, considers the new law an unneeded case of government overreach. “Why are you trying to have the federal government come in and tell us what we can do in our own state? Prime example that the federal government is not focusing on what they need to be.”

While the Federal Highway Administration claims humorous signs are distracting, the WSJ says there are conflicting studies about their effectiveness. In fact, the newspaper cited a 2020 analysis conducted for Virginia’s DOT which found that humorous signs actually “commanded the most cognitive attention.”

In addition to Arizona, President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware is among those states balking at the federal directive.

“Our position is that the messaging we use has a safety theme and therefore is appropriate for use,” the Delaware Department of Transportation says.

Before you ask, four states—Vermont, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii—already ban roadside advertising billboards, not because they distract drivers but because they detract from the natural beauty of the area. Which begs the question, isn’t natural beauty also distracting to drivers? And what about those do-everything electronic screens that are commonplace inside today’s modern vehicles?

We have no doubt that the issue is far from over. Perhaps someday we’ll all look back on this and … laugh.

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