Phoenix officer is among winners of 2021 ADOT safety message contest
Jul 29, 2021, 4:15 PM | Updated: Jul 30, 2021, 8:43 am
PHOENIX — As residents drove across Arizona freeways Thursday, they probably saw this year’s two newest safety messages displayed on freeway overhead message boards.
A spin on lyrics from a Tom Cochrane song, “Life is a highway, I wanna ride it with a seatbelt on,” and a submission by a Phoenix-area law enforcement officer, “Miss your exit? It’s okay, we made more ahead,” were the winners in the 2021 Arizona Department of Transportation Safety Message Contest.
Both entrants remain unnamed, but the “Life is a highway” submission included a note saying it came from Cochrane’s 1992 song, according to an ADOT press release.
More than 6,000 submissions were sent to ADOT.
“It’s encouraging to know that thousands of people also care about safety and voted to see these messages on signs across the state,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said in the release.
“With states across the country posting safety messages, it only gets more difficult to create a one-of-a-kind message. This year’s messages are unique and sure to make an impact on drivers.”
In the five years since the safety message contest first launched, it has received more than 18,000 entries.
ADOT launched the contest as one way to improve driver behavior by promoting safety through creative messaging.
