November 26, 2024

Roses are red, violets are blue. N.J. highway signs have Valentine’s messages for you.

Roses #Roses

The highway version of those tiny candy hearts with messages of love written on them are being seen on New Jersey roads — right in time for Valentine’s Day.

Fresh off some light hearted, but serious safety messages displayed on highway video signs for the Super Bowl, the state Department of Transportation has rolled out some love notes. And there is a hint more may be coming for other holidays.

“No Valentine? Your Seat Belt will Hold You,” one overhead message reads.

A second combines a classic Valentine’s Day rhyme with a lyric from the “Cops” theme song, flashed over two screens “Roses are red, Violets are blue, Drink & Drive, Police Come for You.”

These messages follow two others — “Leave Tailgating for the Game” and “Buckle Up for the Win” — that were displayed during the Super Bowl.

“We put up specific messages for the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day and are likely to do other messages in the future,” said Steve Schapiro, a state transportation department spokesman. “These messages fit with our continued approach to reduce crashes and promote safer driving habits.”

The new lighthearted safety messages come after Federal Highway Administration officials walked back some stern sounding language that implied that humor, puns and cultural references in video safety messages weren’t allowed under new regulations. FHWA said they’re OK as long as all drivers can understand the overall safety message.

“NJDOT is trying to follow the same guidance that so many other states are following, and we will continue to follow the FHWA guidance,” Schapiro said. “We are being mindful of the kinds of messages we put up, keeping them safety centered.”

The humorous messages are among the public service announcements NJDOT displays on video message signs to remind drivers about the various behaviors, such as texting an driving, speeding, unsafe merging and others that can lead to crashes, Schapiro said.

“These messages fit with our continued approach to reduce crashes and promote safer driving habits,” Schapiro said. “Our goal is always to create attention to safety and that’s what these signs are about. It’s about making sure people read them, remember them, and drive safely.”

New Jersey drivers saw several holiday-themed safety messages on state highways last month, including “Ho, Ho, Ho, please drive slow” and “Only Rudolph should be lit, drive high, get DUI.” Other states had their own versions of holiday-themed safety messages as drivers took to the roads in the run up to Christmas.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry.

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