MoDOT wants to know what travelers think about the safety messages the state Transportation department posts on its 250 digital message boards along Missouri's interstates and other major highways.
Although originally intended for emergency notices, MoDOT last year began posting safety messages tied to specific events or themes.
For example, May is motorcycle awareness month and youth alcohol enforcement month, and safety messages have been focused on these topics.
Some of the messages have said:
• "Unbuckled? Seriously."
• "Put Down Your Phone and Drive."
• "Changing Lanes? Show Me Your Blinker."
"The primary purpose of the dynamic message signs is to convey critical information to motorists about lane closures or complete road closures," Jon Nelson, MoDOT traffic management and operations engineer, said in a news release. "However, when the roads are clear of incidents, we use the signs to convey safety messages with a catchy twist to get motorists' attention."
MoDOT has compiled its top 16 messages and is asking Missourians to vote for their favorite, in an online survey at modot.org/safety/DynamicMessageSigns.htm.
Voting for the favorite message will be available online until June 20. The winner and top two runner-up messages, based on consumers' votes, will be announced in early July.
"MoDOT also posts the messages on its Facebook page on Mondays, and the response has been tremendously positive," Nelson said. "Our goal is to find ways to get the safety message to drivers so people will stop, think and make the right safety choice - before they drive without a seatbelt or pick up their phone and text while they drive."
Missourians also are invited to submit their ideas for new messages.
The space on the sign is limited to three lines with 16 spaces on each line. Message topics and ideas can be emailed to MoDOT at [email protected].
Those message boards began going up in 2008 in outstate Missouri, after starting in the metropolitan areas in 2002.