Calif. town uses humor to highlight road safety signs

HAYWARD, Calif., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A California town injected humor into street signs -- including "It's a speed limit, not a suggestion" -- to get motorists to pay more attention.

The traffic signs installed in Hayward in January include, "35 -- It's a speed limit, not a suggestion," "Downhill: Use eyes, brakes, brain," and "Heads up! Cross the street, then update Facebook."

"The idea is for people to do a double take and then realize, 'Oh, they want me to be careful on the hill,'" city spokesman Frank Holland told the Bay Area News Group. "Standard traffic signs often become white noise ... We wanted to use humor to get people to take a second look and think."

The signs were installed along Hayward Boulevard, which is locally notorious for drivers carelessly speeding down hills.

"The people need to be aware and mindful of both vehicles and pedestrians in the roadway," Sgt. Jason Corsolini of the Hayward Police Department's Traffic Bureau told KTVU-TV.

Holland said the seven signs each cost about $205.

"We thought we could get more bang for our buck with education," he said. "If people like the signs, great, the message has reached them. If they don't like the signs and think they're corny, they've still thought about them," Holland said.