You pick the pun: State to let public vote on road sign jokes

6 years ago

State officials are combing through 2,000 contest entries vying to be the next cautionary pun to blink across the humorous highway safety signs that line the Maine interstate.

Voting will begin in early April on finalists’ submissions to the statewide contest “My Maine Sign,” in which the public submitted their ideas to the Department of Transportation.

Since the winter of 2016, the signs have entertained drivers with clever warnings and safety humor. They’ve always been written by DOT officials, who change them every two weeks or so, often with a nod to the nearest holiday (“Santa sees you when you’re speeding”) or major drinking event, like the Superbowl (“87 is Gronk’s number — not the speed limit”).

The submission period closed March 18. To enter, contest hopefuls had to squeeze their funny messages into a few, short sentences that discouraged unsafe behavior, such as distracted or impaired driving, speeding or texting behind the wheel.

The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “You pick the pun: State to let public vote on road sign jokes,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Callie Ferguson, please follow this link to the BDN online.