Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
The Biden Administration sometimes takes a stand that is truly inexplicable. Case in point: the administration’s hand-wringing over vernacular on amusing electronic road signs.
Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of issues that demand federal regulation and uniform policy across the country. The messages contained on electronic highway signs are not among them.
Yet, in a hurry to provide a solution without a problem, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) issued the 1,100-page Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways this past week that tells states to stop using lighthearted, humorous or otherwise unconventional messages on digital highway signs.
According to the massive tome, highways signs should be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear” and only be used for important information, such as warning drivers of obstacles in the road ahead, adverse weather conditions, detours and or significant delays. Warning about the dangers of speeding, driving while impaired or not wearing a seat belt are also acceptable.
But, according to the FHA, which is a part of the Department of Transportation, electronic signs that are humorous, obscure or make references to pop culture should not be used beginning in 2026 because they might be distracting or misunderstood.
What the FHA calls “distracting,” we call “attention-grabbing.” Let’s be honest, Southern Nevada could use a bit more attentiveness from those who use our roads — tourists and locals alike.
We could also use a bit more lighthearted humor in our lives generally — something President Biden has always been known for embracing.
As for being misunderstood, is the federal government genuinely concerned that people will be confused or disoriented by the anti-drunk driving message “Don’t drive star-spangled hammered” when put on a billboard over Independence Day weekend?
While there might be concerns about drivers trying to take photos of the signs while driving, most states, including Nevada, already prohibit the use of handheld electronics while operating a vehicle.
Even in the instance that a driver ignores the prohibition on handheld electronics and pulls out a cell phone or camera, there is reason to believe that the benefits of viral social media posts that highlight clever or humorous traffic signs might outweigh the risks.
In 2020, the Nevada Department of Transportation asked drivers to submit entries for funny messages in the hopes that they might save lives. The contest resulted in messages that anyone who has ever been in Nevada can relate to, including “That’s the temperature, not the speed limit,” “Camp in the mountains, not the left lane,” and “Turn signals come free with vehicles. Use them.”
Those messages not only grab the attention of road users when they are behind the wheel, but have also gone viral on social media, sparking conversations about traffic safety and reminding people of the rules of road as we go about our daily lives.
When Nevada finally started rolling out funny highway signs in 2021, Erin Breen, director of UNLV’s Road Equity Alliance Project told the Sun’s Casey Harrison that “Humor is an effective way to reach people. And when a campaign gets hits on social media — especially among younger users — it could potentially save lives.”
Messages, images and memes that go viral via social media are particularly effective at reaching people aged 16-35, who, according to the FHA are at the greatest risk of serious injury or death due to dangerous driving habits like speeding and tailgating.
By eliminating Nevada’s humorous messages, along with Arizona’s “Hands on the wheel, not your meal” the feds want to throw the baby out with the bath water and eliminate one of the effective means of engaging younger drivers.
To be clear, the new guidelines do not legally require that eye-catching signs be eliminated in all circumstances. State and local agencies still have authority over what appears on the electronic signs they own and operate.
But a statement from the FHA released the day after the new guidelines came out, clarified that state and local agencies are expected to use “good judgment” when creating message signs “that fulfill a need; command attention; convey a clear, simple message; command respect; and provide adequate time for proper response.”
That’s good advice for almost any public official trying to effectively convey a message. But by specifically calling out humorous signs in the federal manual regulating traffic signs, the FHA and the Biden Administration has created confusion that could increase the danger to our streets and makes them look foolish and heavy-handed.
