Bonus for new drivers
The new changes to highway rules were outlined in a 1,100 page manual last month. This manual included a new standard for electronic road signs, or changeable message signs (CMS), which will prohibit messages with obscure meaning, references to popular culture, and messages that are intended to be humorous. This is because such signs can be misunderstood or understood only by a limited segment of road users, thereby degrading the overall effectiveness of the sign as an official traffic control device.
One of the reasons why the FHWA introduced this ban is because they believe that messages on these signs will be required to be traffic and safety-related using “simple, direct, brief, legible, and clear” language by 2026. This is because the FHWA wants to promote the effectiveness of CMS in ensuring road safety, and so they want to minimize the use of content that could potentially distract drivers.
However, road safety isn't the only motivation behind this ban. It's also related to the fact that electronic road signs serve as an advertising tool for various companies, organizations, or even individuals. While some of these messages may be genuinely informative or aimed at promoting road safety, many others are purely for entertainment or humor purposes. As a result, the FHWA wants to ensure that CMS are used primarily for official traffic control messages, and not as a platform for advertisers or individuals to get creative with their messaging.
It's important to note that this ban doesn't mean that electronic road signs will completely lack creativity or personality. The FHWA has issued guidelines for what type of messages are acceptable, such as traffic safety campaign messages that are part of an active, coordinated safety campaign that uses other media forms as its primary means of outreach. This means that CMS messages would be a supplement to the overall campaign that employs other media and/or tools to promote the message, rather than the sole means of communication.