Hundreds of thousands of vehicles will be crossing the Maine border this holiday weekend, and the Maine Department of Transportation hopes what they see will make them laugh -- and drive more safely.
The Department of Transportation has been putting up highway signs that are humorous -- and sometimes a bit edgy -- hoping to grab drivers' attention, and drive a safety message home.
On Friday, a sign on Interstate 295 read "Cold suppah's bettah than a hot ticket." Others have read: "Not a bee? Don't drive buzzed" and "Get your head out of your apps."
"Those regular safety messages out there, people have seen and grown accustomed to," said Maine DOT spokesman Ted Talbot. "We think people are sophisticated enough to have a sense of humor, while conveying a safety message."
Talbot says a small committee of engineers and communications specialists have been brainstorming the funny highway signs for the last two years.
Their first one was put up around Christmas time. It read: "Santa sees you when you're speeding."
For the Super Bowl, they said: "No sober driver? Belichick yourself," and "87 is Gronk's number, not the speed limit."
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The signs have become so popular on social media, the Maine DOT decided to hold a highway naming contest this spring. The winners were announced Friday. Talbot said they received more than 2,000 submissions.
"We were really surprised by the reaction, and all the clever and funny people out there," he said.
The winners will have their signs on display this summer, and include "Put down ur cell, or u may end up in one" and "Spend money on lobstahs, not speeding tickets."
