Skip to main content

Dynamic safe driving messages raise awareness

In a new effort to warn drivers to focus on the road, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is using its more than 250 dynamic message signs on interstates and major highways to send safety messages to drivers. The state says speeding, impaired driving, not wearing seatbelts and distracted driving are some of the leading causes of the 550 deaths to date in 2014. "Messages like ‘Put Down Your Phone and Drive, It Can Wait' or ‘Leave All Tailgating at the Game' are designed to raise awareness o
October 7, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
In a new effort to warn drivers to focus on the road, the 1773 Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is using its more than 250 dynamic message signs on interstates and major highways to send safety messages to drivers.  The state says speeding, impaired driving, not wearing seatbelts and distracted driving are some of the leading causes of the 550 deaths to date in 2014.

"Messages like ‘Put Down Your Phone and Drive, It Can Wait' or ‘Leave All Tailgating at the Game' are designed to raise awareness of these driving behaviour," said MoDOT Traffic management and operations engineer Jon Nelson. "Driving is a serious task that demands your attention. We hope our sometimes humorous and interesting messages will remind drivers to refocus on the task at hand."

Messages are changed each month and focus on seasonal issues or safety enforcement campaigns.  October messages include "Unbuckled? Seriously", "One Text or Call Could Wreck It All, It Can Wait", "If You Can't See Trucks Mirrors, They Can't See You", and "Drinking and Driving Don't Mix."

"The primary purpose of the dynamic message signs is to share incident and work zone information to motorists," said Nelson. "When we don't have these incidents, we are using the message signs to share driving safety information instead of just leaving them blank."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Winners of AT&T traffic safety innovation challenge announced
    October 22, 2014
    The winners of AT&T's Connected Intersections Challenge, a technology challenge aimed at stimulating innovative solutions to improve traffic safety on New York City streets. Forty-five teams from 13 countries and 26 states submitted their apps and wearable devices ranging from smartphone sensors, phone-to-phone communications and natural user interfaces, among other technologies. The winners include: Tug, an app that alerts pedestrians as they are about to enter an intersection; an anti-sleep alarm
  • Acusensus highlights magnitude of seatbelt problem
    March 8, 2023
    If you don’t wear a seatbelt, you’re disproportionately likely to be killed in road collisions. Geoff Collins of Acusensus talks to Adam Hill about how AI will allow police to monitor and prevent this risky behaviour
  • What's next for transport communication systems?
    February 2, 2012
    Moxa Americas, Inc.'s Charles Chen ponders the way forward for transportation communications networks in the US
  • EU rules extend the ‘long arm of the law’
    November 27, 2013
    New EU legislation allows authorities to collect fines from errant foreign motorists even after they have returned to their own country. New European Union legislation means drivers in many Member States can be prosecuted for breaking traffic laws when driving outside their home country. While not all the Member States will not be signing up to Directive 2011/82/EU facilitating the cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences, for those that do the deadline date to impleme