The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is excited to announce a contest to see who can come up with the best holiday travel safety message for the Dynamic Message Signs you see on the interstates. The contest gives Tennessee motorists a chance to help the department raise awareness about various safety issues and save lives.
Starting today, TDOT will begin taking entries. Entries will be considered for five highway safety categories: seatbelt usage, impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, and aggressive driving.
“This contest is a fun way to engage citizens and assist TDOT in accomplishing our goal of saving lives by getting the attention of drivers and reminding them to practice safe driving habits,” said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “We encourage motorists to check the message boards daily for important travel information. This holiday season we want everyone to reach their destination safely.”
Entering the contest is easy! Just go to this link from TDOT’s website Make Travel Bright Safety Sign Contest.
The contest web page will list the categories and allow you to type your message and submit your entry. The contest will run through December 11th. TDOT will then allow the public to vote on the best messages, on the @myTDOT Facebook page beginning December 16th. The winning message will be placed in rotation to run on the overhead Dynamic Message Signs statewide. Keep it clean! Any message containing profanity or lewd comments will be disqualified. The message boards are not to be used for advertising purposes; therefore, please refrain from using sports team names, singers’ names, etc., in your entries.
A total of 217 Dynamic Message Signs are 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. In 2012, TDOT became the first DOT 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.
