Holiday Movie-Inspired Iowa DOT Sign Delivers a Driving Message

If you were driving around Iowa earlier this month, you probably saw another hilarious work done by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

When I first moved to Iowa several years ago, I always thought the signs that Iowa DOT put up once a week, were very smart. Sometimes, they are even hilarious little messages.

It's all a part of a program put together by the department and a campaign called What Drives You? called Roadside Chat.

The goal of these messages on state highways is to, "to display conversation-starting safety messages and the current highway fatality count."

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On Friday, December 15th drivers noticed a hilarious sign along the state's highways. It was a clear reference to the classic holiday movie 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.'

It read, " Santa sees you on your phone. You serious, Clark?"

Courtesy of What Drives You

Why This Message?

When these messages go up on the Iowa DOT signs that you see on the road, a quick little explanation of the meaning/message goes up on the department's website. You can read up more about the past messages there too!

While this message is a nod to the classic Christmas movie, it also acknowledges the deadly consequences of using your phone while driving. Here in the Hawkeye State it is actually legal to use your phone while navigating the road or making a call.

You should be restraining yourself to use the phone, social media, or texting while driving purely for your own safety's sake. However, if you have kids, they are always watching your habits which will one day maybe become their driving habits.

They are always watching...

According to reports from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the fatal crash rate per mile driven for teens ages sixteen to nineteen is triple the rate of drivers that are over the age of twenty.

So, this holiday season just drive responsibly.

Stay up to date with everything going on in Eastern Iowa by downloading the free station app from your app store. Also, do not forget to follow the station across all social media platforms for the latest updates on weather and road conditions this holiday season.

Take a look at some of the other hilarious signs that the Iowa Department of Transportation have put out.

Hilarious Iowa DOT Signs

Anyone else share a sense of humor with a state's Department of Transportation? Just me? Well, every Monday the Iowa Department of Transportation puts up a sometimes hilarious, sometimes straightforward message on their road signs across the state. This is called "message Monday" and Iowa DOT tries to entertain and educate drivers through these signs. Here are just a few of our favorites.

Gallery Credit: Kerri Mac