Humorus VMSes

[Buffaboy]

Boy if only NYSDOT/NYSTA could make use of all of those shiney new VMSes like the UDOT has:







Typical "bland" NYSTA VMS:



Spice it up a bit!

[hotdogPi]

The "boring" one actually displays useful information, not some default message.

[jeffandnicole]

If only the search function was used to find several other similiar topics, many with the same pictures.

[oscar]

If only the search function was used to find several other similiar topics, many with the same pictures.

Like this one (with my own funny VMS photo), though there are more topics out there.

[Right on Red]

From Phoenix (via Reddit):

[1995hoo]

Does that mean people underestimate the power of aggressive driving?

[Right on Red]

Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Suffering leads to...texting while driving? Apparently so, according to IADOT.

(Screenshots from IADOT's website)

Also from Reddit, this one's from UDOT:

[Pink Jazz]

This could potentially be a message for Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

Code Select Expand

REAL MEN WEAR
PINK & DON'T
DRINK & DRIVE

[kkt]

Clever text messages cause distracted driving by photographers.

[Pete from Boston]

Clever text messages cause distracted driving by photographers.

Damn right.  Whenever MassDOT tosses one of these off, the internet explodes with driver photos of them.  How is this lost on the people approving the messages?  There are even verbose messages specifically addressing distracted driving!

[Zeffy]

This could potentially be a message for Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

Code Select Expand

REAL MEN WEAR
PINK & DON'T
DRINK & DRIVE

And how exactly do you discern a "real" man from a "fake" man?

[Ian]

This could potentially be a message for Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

Code Select Expand

REAL MEN WEAR
PINK & DON'T
DRINK & DRIVE

And how exactly do you discern a "real" man from a "fake" man?

Dude, real men wear pink. He literally just said it! 

[TXtoNJ]

We get annual death tolls in Texas, just in case you weren't sufficiently terrified about what you were currently doing.

[GaryV]

We get annual death tolls in Texas, just in case you weren't sufficiently terrified about what you were currently doing.

We had that in MI a few weeks ago.  I don't know if they were intending to scare us, or to see if we could break 1000.

[busman_49]

We get annual death tolls in Texas, just in case you weren't sufficiently terrified about what you were currently doing.

We had that in MI a few weeks ago.  I don't know if they were intending to scare us, or to see if we could break 1000.

I saw that in Illinois on a trip last year, then Ohio decided to jump on that bandwagon beginning this summer.

[Big John]

We get annual death tolls in Texas, just in case you weren't sufficiently terrified about what you were currently doing.

We had that in MI a few weeks ago.  I don't know if they were intending to scare us, or to see if we could break 1000.

I saw that in Illinois on a trip last year, then Ohio decided to jump on that bandwagon beginning this summer.

In Green Bay/Appleton areas today, the VMS were stating how many alcohol-related deaths there were then flashed to a message to get a designated driver.

[wanderer2575]

The "boring" one actually displays useful information, not some default message.

It's often not nearly as useful as it could be.  "Right lane closed beyond exit 50" -- I don't care about the event specifics; I want to know the effect on traffic.  I find Michigan VMSs to be next to useless in this regard -- "Accident / I-96 West / Past Novi Road" -- are we talking about a fender-bender on the shoulder with a minor gawker slowdown, or are all lanes narrowed down to one slowly squeezing by on the shoulder and there's a ten-mile-long standstill?  The only thing these signs tell me is to start frantically scanning for a traffic report on the radio that might actually tell me about the traffic conditions.

[wanderer2575]

Michigan used to put some verse on the signs -- "By Land or Sea / Drive Alcohol-Free" is the only one I can think of offhand -- but seems I haven't seen that in a couple years.  Michigan also regularly posts year-to-date fatality counts, like that's a consideration in how I drive.

One funny thing (not ha-ha funny, sorry) that Michigan often does is display on VMSs the website address of MDOT's interactive traffic conditions map.  I understand what they're going for, but it seems like stereotypical government insanity that they admonish drivers to put down the smartphones and drive but at the same time they tell us while we're driving how we can check realtime traffic conditions online.

[GaryV]

The Michigan poet was back today:

IN ICE AND SNOW
TAKE IT SLOW

[ARMOURERERIC]

I could not find the facebook post from this morning but somehow a construction VMS on 15NB coming into Corona CA flashed a pro-Rubio message all weekend.  There may actually be an investigation.

[SignGeek101]

The Michigan poet was back today:

IN ICE AND SNOW
TAKE IT SLOW

I've seen this one here as well (not as a VMS, but on advertising boards from the government). The only difference is that it's

WHEN THERE'S ICE AND SNOW
TAKE IT SLOW

[myosh_tino]

The Michigan poet was back today:

IN ICE AND SNOW
TAKE IT SLOW

California's version is...

CAUTION
ICE AND SNOW
TAKE IT SLOW

and is commonly used on US 50 and I-80 during the winter season.