Changing lanes? Use yah blinkah!

There's an electronic message that appears on the overhead signs along the Mass Pike that reads: Changing lanes? Use yah blinkah?

Personally, I love it. It's a direct reminder that many drivers need, and, given that page two of the message is in Massachusetts-ese, it's got a fun local element.

Alas, signs like this will no longer be overhead, but in the rearview mirror of our driven, driving lives. The U.S. Federal Highway Adminstration has decreed that signs that are a bit quirky, a bit fun, will need to be eliminated by 2026.

Administration officials said overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be misunderstood or distracting to drivers.

The agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said signs should be "simple, direct, brief, legible and clear" and only be used for important information such as warning drivers of crashes ahead, adverse weather conditions and traffic delays. Seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving impaired are also allowed.

Among those that will be disappearing are messages such as "Use Yah Blinkah" in Massachusetts; "Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late," from Ohio; "Don't drive Star Spangled Hammered," from Pennsylvania; "Hocus pocus, drive with focus" from New Jersey; and "Hands on the wheel, not your meal" from Arizona. (Source: WCVB)

Okay, I can see that a joke about the old in-laws might take a bit of time to read. And that hocus-pocus might make drivers lose focus. Not to mention that "Don't drive Star-Spangled Hammered" might take a bit too long to process. I'm assuming that this one was used for the 4th of July, but is "Star-Spangled Hammered" even a thing?

But "Use Yah Blinkah." It's pithy. It's a quick read. And, unlike hocus-pocus-focus, it's pretty funny.

I suppose there could be folks driving on the Mass Pike who don't know what a blinker is, since I understand that in most parts of the country, it's called a turn signal. (Yawn!) And there may be those who don't know what a Massachusetts accent is and could not translate "blinkah" into "blinker," let alone turn signal.

Still...

Even though I'm only rarely on the Mass Pike, I'll be sorry to see it go. 

(There were a couple of other Mass Pike signs, but I don't recall ever having seen them. Of that bunch, even though it has no local flavor, I rather like "Keep calm and drive on." And for local color, "Make ya mah proud, wear ya seat belt" ain't bad.)

If I were in Arizona, I wouldn't mind seeing "Seatbelts always pass a vibe check" jettisoned, mostly because I don't know what a vibe check is. But I'd miss the "I'm just a sign asking drivers to use turn signals" one, which has a nice existentialist, theater of the absurd, ring to it. At least it checks that vibe for me.

I don't spend a lot of time complaining about federal government overreach, and I probably won't until or unless there's a white nationalist fascistic takeover of the country, and the feds start reaching into Massachusetts with their guns and ignorance. 

But this seems a bit overreach-y to me.

This does remind me of an earlier Mass Pike sign that went by the boards a while back. I do understand that indigenous people might be offended by the arrow through the Pilgrim hat pointing out a direction, but it was kind of funny. 

Oh, I do get why that one had to go.

But "Use yah blinkah"? Get outta here!