Police using humor on traffic signs to spread safety awareness

Electronic traffic safety message boards may blur in the background when you’re on the road, but they serve a good purpose by warning drivers about traffic safety.

You drive past one every day along 16th Street, and if you miss it, you’ll be missing out on a laugh or two, too.

This week it reads: “Airbags smear makeup, wear ur seatbelt for pete’s sake.”

It’s an unusual but memorable and humorous way to get a driver’s attention.

“The message is conveyed with a little humor behind it rather than a stoic message from the cops,” Sgt. Eric Egan, a 15-year-veteran with the Yuma Police Department said.

Sgt. Egan is the man behind the sign and t hey’ve been using it for the past year and a half, after receiving it through a grant made possible by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

Sgt. Egan said the community has given positive feedback.

“There’s a need for the sign because people have to be constantly reminded about driver’s behaviors,” Sgt. Egan added.

Those behaviors include wearing a seatbelt. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stresses the importance of wearing one.

Statistics show in 2016, seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives. That is not always the case.

37,461 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016, 48 percent weren’t wearing seat belts, according to NHTSA.

One of Sgt. Egan’s favorite board signs?

“Get your head out of your apps is the best one,” said Sgt. Egan.

Which brings up the issue of texting and driving. Nearly, 3,450 lives were lost in 2016 due to distracted driving.

“If I can utilize this and change the message every week, it’s a new idea for people… quit causing collisions,” Sgt. Egan said.

Be on the lookout for new messages, Sgt. Egan said he is looking to create some new funny messages.