If you're driving through Massachusetts, get ready to laugh. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation held a contest for funny yet important safety messages to be displayed on electronic highway boards, and the results are in, according to The Associated Press.
And of course, the winning statements have the iconic Boston accent.
"Make ya Ma proud, wear yah seatbelt," entered by The Parent's Supervised Driving Program team of Safe Roads Alliance; "Keep Calm and Drive On," submitted by Boston's Patrick Casey; and "Put down the phone! Your LOLs and OMGs can wait," entered by Justin Lovell of Whitman were the winners the MassDOT selected Thursday.
But where did the inspiration for the contest come from? Three simple words: "Use Yah Blinkah," a message posted on highway signs in May.
"With the 'Use Yah Blinkah' sign, we got people's attention," said Highway Administrator Frank DePaola.
The sign came after the Massachusetts police issued almost 5,000 tickets for failing to use blinkers when changing lanes in 2013, The NY Daily News reported.
And New Englanders took the contest seriously, with more than 500 entries submitted that followed rules like using local vernacular, using common texting abbreviations, avoiding profanity and messages short enough to fit on the message board.
"We received some very creative, thoughtful and funny, message suggestions," said Transportation Secretary Richard Davey.
Not only will the winners get their messages displayed on hundreds of message boards, but they also received gas station and restaurant gift cards, AP reported.
"By changing the routine messages," DePaola said, "we hope to bring a new light to important public safety messages that sometimes may be overlooked.
