When you're driving, here's a request: Keep your "eyes on the road and your head out of your apps."
That is the latest digital road-sign quip from Tennessee's Department of Transportation, which continues its communications campaign designed to grab attention and possibly change driving habits.
Though some may think it's a little risque, the most important thing with the play on words is to draw people's attention, TDOT community relations officer Heather Jensen said.
"A clever message can get people talking and having a conversation — even for a minute," Jensen said.
The digital interstate signs, which number 60 in Middle Tennessee, display a variety of different messages. They allow the transportation department to inform drivers about accidents, road conditions and special events. They also present a unique medium to talk about public safety issues such as using seat belts, drinking and driving and paying attention to the road ahead.
Some displays, such as the count of state traffic fatalities, have in the past caused controversy. The figures typically post on Fridays and put Tennessee drivers face to face with driving dangers. The campaign continues this year, and on Friday signs showed 842 Tennessee roadway fatalities this year compared with 884 through the same date in 2013.
Although Jensen said it's hard to measure the effectiveness of the campaign, even "one fatality is one too many, so now imagine 800 over a year. It is just unfathomable.
"We want people to pay attention," she said. "Really, it's about awareness."
Sometimes that means being serious, and other times witty.
So who's the mind behind messages suggesting people keep their heads out of their apps or asking people to "buckle up y'all"?
It's a collaboration, actually, that includes borrowing ideas from other transportation departments across the country.
In September, the Iowa Department of Transportation ran a similar "apps" message along with its traffic death numbers.
And this summer, on the heels of its "use yah blinkah" highway safety campaign, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation created a #DOTSPEAK contest to solicit the best message from motorists on how to combat road rage and distracted driving and encourage seat belt use.
The clever colloquialisms that came from the contest made for some creative signs, which Jensen said inspired some of Tennessee's messaging.
A lot of people got a kick out of Massachusetts' campaign, which received nearly 500 entries, and it helped keep drivers' attention, said Michael Verseckes, deputy communications director for MassDOT.
When the same messages are run over and over, drivers "can acclimate to the messages," he said. "They tune it out and don't pay attention."
Something more spunky can catch people's eyes — but only for a second.
It's important, after all, to keep attention on the road.
Year-to-date deaths on Tennessee roads
As of Nov. 13:
County: Year-to-date 2014 (year-to-date difference from 2013)
Davidson County: 52 (-6)
Shelby County: 96 (10)
Knox County: 46 (-5)
Statewide total: 842 (-42)
