Photo: Tennessee DOT

Photo: Tennessee DOT

Some state safety agencies, realizing the same old tired safety warnings just make drivers' eyes glaze over, have been turning to some more creative wording for their safety campaigns.

Back before Christmas, South Dakota made national news when it pulled a successful but apparently too-risque campaign, "Don't Jerk and Drive."

That public safety campaign was designed to raise awareness about the dangers of jerking the steering wheel on icy roads. It intentionally played on the double meaning of the word "jerk," which is also a euphemism for masturbation.

Well, the campaign definitely got peoples' attention, if perhaps not for the right reasons.

Last summer, a spur-of-the-moment message on a sign in Massachusetts that advised drivers to "Use Yah Blinkah" went viral, sparking the state DOT to run a contest, dubbed "DOTSpeak," asking for other creative safety messages. Winners included “Put Down the Phone. Your LOLs and OMGs Can Wait," “Keep Calm and Drive On,” and "Make Yah Ma Proud, Wear Yah Seatbelt.”

Now the Tennessee DOT is taking a page from Massachusetts' book and is looking for some creative safety messages for its overhead signs.

The goal with the dynamic message signs (other than warning about hazardous road conditions) is to raise awareness of safety issues. But instead of the same old boring messages, the agency thinks it can get more attention with cleverly worded messages such as "Eyes on the road and head out of your apps" and "Buckle up y'all it's the law."

Think you can come up with one better? Here's your chance! Messages can be entered in the following categories: Speeding, Distracted Driving, Impaired Driving, Seat Belts, and Aggressive Driving.

There are three lines total. Each line can have up to 21 characters, but shorter is better. TDOT will select the finalists and the public will get to vote on the winners. The winning messages will go into TDOT's rotation.

You can submit entries starting today until the end of the business day on January 16. Voting runs January 26 – February 6 (end of business day) at the TDOT's website at www.tdot.state.tn.us/dms.

And feel free to share some of your ideas in the comments below!

About the author
Deborah Lockridge

Deborah Lockridge

Editor and Associate Publisher

Reporting on trucking since 1990, Deborah is known for her award-winning magazine editorials and in-depth features on diverse issues, from the driver shortage to maintenance to rapidly changing technology.

View Bio
0 Comments