“They’re creepy and they're kooky.
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky.”

We’re not talking about the Addams Family. 

As Halloween approaches on Sunday, Oct. 31, we’re talking about scary motorists, the creepy crawly kind who:

• Think they’re witches who can fly over traffic, forgetting about the little Diana Taurasis, Devin Bookers and Wonder Women scurrying about amid superheroes, ghosts and goblins.
• Think it’s okay to imbibe too many drinks from the adults-only cauldron without designating a driver, putting a zombie’s army of costume-clad candy seekers at risk.
• Forget that on Halloween, the ghoulish streets are no place to be speeding or driving carelessly or aggressively.

Be an Ariel, not a Tazmanian Devil. Buckle your seatbelt, drive sober, go extra slowly and give yourself plenty of time to get home from your weekend errands.

Pack some patience along with that extra bag of candy. Plan ahead and remember to leave earlier. Don’t let too much sugar keep you from staying alert to the candy crush of Halloween funsters.

Take heed of these safety messages (on the right ) that we displayed on Halloweens’ past.

And, look forward to ADOT’s new Halloween safety messages, which are scheduled to debut over the weekend.

So, let’s all make a commitment not to be “ooky” drivers this year! Here’s to a safe Halloween!

For another reminder about Halloween safety that's sure to drive you batty, click here.

The 2020 holiday season will kick off at sundown tonight with the lighting of the menorah for the first night of Hanukkah. Each year the Jewish holiday falls on a different Gregorian calendar day. This year it marks the first of our holiday safety messages. You'll see our first safety message today with more to come before the year is over!

Many people love these safety messages, but we still get our share of naysayers. While we don't want you to be distracted while driving, we do want you engaged in highway safety. Whether you're making a positive or negative comment about our messages on social media, we're pleased they made you think twice about roadway safety. 

That being said, you can expect a few more safety messages throughout the holiday season. To get you in the holiday spirit, we're sharing a few messages from past years in our video below.

We know it's a busy time of year, but please don't be too busy to slow down, drive safely and always get a designated driver if you're out drinking. 

ADOT announced the winners of our Safety Message Contest earlier this week, marking the completion of our fourth annual contest. Back in 2017, when we launched the first one, we weren’t sure how it would go – would it be successful or totally ignored?

The answer came quickly when we received about 3,000 submissions in the first 24 hours. In total, more than 17,000 traffic safety messages have been entered over the years and nine have been voted winners by the public. The competition is steep, but you’re much more likely to win this contest – about 1 in 1,889 entries is a winner – than the lottery.

What we like most about the contest is the public engagement it generates. We truly enjoy seeing the ideas people come up with and hope they continue these traffic safety-themed conversations with their families, friends and coworkers.

We also fill with pride when other states use Arizona’s winning messages on their own message boards – Iowa DOT used one of our first winning messages last summer.

Here’s a look at the past winners in our Safety Message Contest.

Earlier this week, ADOT announced the 12 finalists in our 2020 Safety Message Contest. You can view the messages and vote for your favorite through Sunday, May 17 at azdot.gov/signcontest.

ADOT received more than 4,000 message entries in the contest this year. We considered a few factors when whittling that big number down to a dozen messages. First, we wanted the finalists to represent a variety of safety topics. These messages we selected cover car seats, distracted driving, drowsy driving, speeding, turn signals and more.

We also wanted the finalists  to have different tones. Some are serious and straightforward, some rhyme, some are funny (we think so, at least) and some use a play on words or puns. 

No matter your interest in topic or tone, we think there’s something for everyone. So, check out the messages and vote for your favorite. We’ll display the top two vote-getters on dynamic message signs statewide.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

We've revealed the winners in ADOT’s third annual Safety Message Contest. Three years we’ve been running this engaging contest.

That’s 21 dog years.

What?

I make that connection because one of the winning messages relates to man’s best friend. Submitted by Mitzie Warner of Chandler, the safety message “Drive like the person your dog thinks you are,” received about a third of the 5,000 votes cast, burying the other 14 finalists like a favorite bone.

Though I’m a cat owner – lovable Mr. Squeakers has been part of our family for 11 years – I understand the desire to live up to being the purr-fect people our pets believe us to be. Making safe and smart decisions behind the wheel, like choosing not to drive recklessly, distracted or impaired, is a great start.

The other winning message, submitted by David Posey of San Tan Valley, was a clever play on words: “Drink and drive? Meet police and see new bars.” Both winning messages will be displayed on overhead messages this weekend statewide.

Drive safely on the roads this week. Make your dog proud.

   This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's 
   LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.