Winning safety signs from ADOT contest are revealed
Those clever Arizona Department of Transportation freeway signs this weekend will feature the three winning messages submitted by residents as part of the agency’s recent contest.
In February, ADOT turned to Arizona residents for the second time to create the short quips featured on the message boards that hang above freeways throughout Phoenix and other areas of the state.
The top picks from the contest were revealed Friday. The thousands of submissions were narrowed to 15 before online voters picked the final three. Each message will be on display over the next three days.
The winning message — “Buckle up, buttercup” — was actually submitted four different times. Tasha Anderson of Youngtown; Susan Henry of Glendale; husband and wife Pete and Dianna Schoening of Peoria; and Lily Hutt, a fifth-grader at Desert Willow Elementary School in Cave Creek, all were honored for the wisecrack.
Their slogan will appear on ADOT message boards across the state through Saturday afternoon.
Sterling Gavette of Phoenix, whose message reads, “Camping in the left lane attracts bears,” will have her message displayed beginning Saturday and into Sunday.
The third humorous safety message came from Prescott Valley resident Christina Healy. Healy’s winning pick was “Road rage gives you wrinkles.” It will be featured all day Sunday.
Four of the winners visited the control room of ADOT’s Phoenix office Friday to personally type in their clever handiwork before turning to the department’s traffic cameras to watch it go live on the electronic signs. The messages were confined to three 18character lines for a total length of 54 characters.
ADOT has been mixing humor with safe-driving reminders for a few years now.
Past messages have drawn from popular movies or pop culture moments.
“Trust the force but always buckle up” was displayed during the premiere of a new “Star Wars” movie.
“Drinking & Driving go together like Peas & Guac” drew nationwide attention when it was shown during the 2015 Thanksgiving rush. It referred to a controversial New York Times recipe for guacamole that listed peas as an ingredient.