Latest news with #Drazkowski
Axios
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Humorless highways: Minnesota senator targets snarky roadside PSAs
State Sen. Steve Drazkowski isn't amused by the Minnesota Department of Transportation's witty messages warning drivers to slow down, buckle up and find a sober ride. Driving the news: The Mazeppa Republican introduced an amendment to a Transportation funding bill yesterday to put the brakes on MnDOT using witticism, neologisms, portmanteaus, hashtags, "Internet shorthand" and pop culture references that not all drivers would get on its electronic signs. Translation: No more "Duck, Duck, Buckle Up" or "Let's go Barbie / Buckle up / yes you, Ken! What they're saying: Drazkowski argued MnDOT should stick to real road hazards and traffic alerts. "Let's focus on what it's intended for, not big brother-type messages that climb out onto these digital billboards and pull your attention as a driver from the roadway," he said. The other side: "Come on, they're fun," said Transportation Committee Vice Chair Ann Johnson Stewart (DFL-Wayzata), arguing that research shows the snarky signs don't lead to an increase in accidents. "Fun kills at 65 mph," Drazkowski deadpanned in response.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Republican senator: No more wit, pop culture, portmanteaus on our road signs
Sen. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, left, and Doran Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, right, share a moment on the floor during session Wednesday, April 23. (Photo by A.J. Olmscheid/Senate Media) State Sen. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, offered an amendment to a transportation funding bill Thursday that would mandate the Minnesota Department of Transportation use digital road signs that 'convey a clear and simple message without witticisms, colloquialisms, neologisms, portmanteaus, hashtags, electronic or internet shorthand or slang, popular culture references that target or are comprehended by a limited segment of the driving population, or any other message relying on hidden meanings, targeted cultural knowledge, or unconventional syntax to understand the message.' Drazkowski explained during a floor speech that MnDOT's use of wit in its safety messages — which he called 'Big Brother type messages — is distracting and dangerous. He read a few of the digital billboards in use by MnDOT in recent weeks. 'Only the hot dish should be baked. Don't drive high.' 'Weed like to remind you that driving high is illegal.' 'Don't rely on a four-leaf clover. Drive safe and sober.' The messages compel drivers, Drazkowski said, 'to figure out what the message means and having the neurons in your head focusing on that, all the while distracting you as a driver from the roadway.' Drazkowski — who opposed the cell phone-while-driving ban in 2019 — cited an article in Science by a University of Minnesota researcher and a colleague, which used data from a Texas study to warn that 'cognitive overload' can increase distraction and accidents. Indeed, NPR reported last year that the federal government has issued recommendations 'that states phase out signs that have 'obscure' meanings or use pop-culture references that could require drivers 'greater time to process.'' State Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart, who is a DFL civil engineer of Wayzata, said on the Senate floor that she'd called friends at MnDOT and been assured the signs are safe and merely a fun way to get the public — and especially children — involved in road safety. Drazkowski, who has had moments of internet fame, like when he repeated debunked tales about schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats, said MnDOT shouldn't be making the decision: 'I did expect my Democrat friends to call the government. It's one of my frustrations with this place … it's reflexive: What does the government wanna do? They just wanna fun. Fun kills at 65 miles per hour.' The amendment failed.
