You Know Those Funny DOT Messages in Iowa? Federal Government is Getting Rid Of Them

Driving down highways or interstates during holiday seasons are always a little more interesting when the message boards warning for your safety have their puns on them, but the federal government is cracking down on states that use funny signs.

The Variable Message Signs (VMS) are for missing people, bad weather conditions, or crashes ahead. When they aren't being used for a specific alert, they'll be used for broad messages, like reminders to buckle your seatbelt, or warning motorists to not drive drunk.

Some states like to have fun with those messages, but the feds say no more.

The Federal Highway Administration, a subsection of the DOT, has issued new guidelines for safety messages forbidding funny messages on the Variable Message Signs.

The argument of course is that the humorous messages are more memorable and more likely to make an impact.

The FHA says that some of the messages that include music or movie references are lost on anyone who hasn't heard the song or seen the movie referenced.

Most upset about the issue argue that the amount of information on some of the standard alerts are just as distracting to try and read.

So, maybe the happy medium isn't removing the humor altogether, but maybe removing pop culture references.

We've put together a list of some of our favorite messages from around the country, which you can check out below.

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