The top five messages in the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s dynamic message board contest were announced Monday.
The theme to some of this year’s messages, not unlike last year’s, appears to arise from the rear bumper area either of vehicles or motorists themselves.
In order, the top five vote- getters were:
“Do your duty. Seatbelt your booty!”
“Use your blinking blinker!”
“Be kind. Don’t ride my behind.”
“In a hurry? Shoulda left early. Slow down!”
“We’ve upped our road safety, so up yours.”
TDOT officials said in a statement on the winners that more than 2,000 entries were submitted to the state and nearly 8,000 votes were cast for the 15 finalist messages.
The top message, “Do your duty. Seatbelt your booty!” will be displayed on message boards this week, officials said.
That message, along with the other winning messages, will be placed in rotation to run on the overhead Dynamic Message Signs statewide throughout the year, TDOT officials said.
Some of the entries were modified slightly to fit guidelines for the signs.
There also were three honorable mentions that will be placed in rotation:
“Smashville is a rink thing, not a drink thing!”
“Don’t let Halloween end in horror. Drive sober.”
“March madness. For the hardwood, not the highway.”
TDOT Commissioner John Schroer thanked participants in the contest.
“We received such creative messages this year,” he said. “TDOT is honored to partner with the public to raise safety awareness. Even if a submission didn’t win, there’s still a chance that message may be seen periodically on our DMS boards.”
A total of 177 dynamic message boards are located in the state’s four urban areas – Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville – and in some rural areas across the state. The main purpose of the signs is to alert motorists of incidents, lane blockages, hazardous road conditions, or Amber Alerts, officials said.
In 2012, TDOT became the first transportation department in the nation to display roadway fatality numbers on the overhead signs. In addition to the fatality statistics, safety messages are displayed during off-peak travel times.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@times freepress.com or 423-757-6569.