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Highway message boards deliver safe driving message with humor

They're everywhere. Those electronic message boards along America's highways.

They're everywhere. Those electronic message boards along America's highways.

They're meant to share information and motorist safety messages. But the most fun to come out of them recently is a trend toward humor, informing and making you smile at once.

With 50 million traveling on U.S. highways over the long weekend, lots of people are getting the message.

Iowa's Department of Transportation, in an effort to reduce highway speeds and improve attention behind the wheel, came up with some clever holiday-themed one-liners.

"Gobble Gobble, Go Easy on the Throttle."

"Texting and Driving is Clever... Said No One Ever."

"We make the message a little thought provoking, fun, humorous, some people say snarky," said Willy Sorenson, special projects engineer.

"And use that, you know, just generic, 'click it or ticket', let's come up with something that really resonates and makes people think about what they are doing when they're behind the wheel," added Tracey Bramble, an Iowa DOT information specialist.

There are puns ("Nobody Relishes a Pickled Driver") and references to classic cartoon favorites ("Good Grief! Slow Down, Charlie Brown").

Iowa's crew takes some pleasure when they see other states borrow their humor for their signs.

"I love seeing our messages come up in other states," Bramble said. "It's a sense of pride, seeing our messages come up in other states."

And after all, they're happy to share in the name of safety and crash reduction.

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