Last week, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed a bill that would have restricted the content of digital highway signs largely to traffic safety messages, KAWC reports. HB 2586 (which passed by narrow margins in both legislative chambers) would have suppressed all messages but those “directly related to transportation or highway public safety” [with narrow exceptions for Amber, Silver and Blue alerts, and reminders to vote]. Sponsor Neal Carter (R-15) argued that anything else would be distracting; he also acknowledged some concern about the latitude traffic authorities had to convey other messaging, such as urging vaccination. The bill would not have affected Arizona DOT’s use of humorous traffic safety messages such as, “Drive like the person your dog thinks you are.”
