Photo by @KARINANBC12 courtesy Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation has been leveraging its overhead highway signs to reach drivers with safety messages in creative new ways, combining humor, pop culture and driving tips.
One such sign, a July Fourth message that read, “You’re not a firework, don’t drive lit,” was shared by users on social media to reach millions of people. A similar message, “Woody says don’t drive buzzed,” was timed for the release of “Toy Story 4” in June.
VDOT has been using changeable message signs for at least 15 years, mainly to alert drivers about traffic conditions, says Rob Cary, the agency’s chief deputy commissioner. Cary says VDOT officials knew that frequent messaging helps improve driver practices such as seat belt use.
To get drivers’ attention, the agency began employing references a couple of years ago to TV programs such as HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (“Even Jon Snow knows to buckle up”) and the movies “Black Panther” (“Wakanda driver are you? Safety is king”) and “Star Wars: Episode VIII” (“Speeding leads to the dark side”).
Given the response to the firework message, Cary says, “Hopefully there’s somebody out there that made a different decision, chose to Uber or Lyft home rather than drive themselves, or take a designated driver.”
