'Christmas Vacation' Message Targets Distracted Drivers During Holiday Season
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (CBS Local) -- Drivers in Tennessee are being reminded to not text and drive with a hilarious overhead electronic sign message.
The signs read "Cousin Eddie says Twitter's full. Put down the phone."
The message is in reference to the beloved Cousin Eddie character from the hit movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
"A lot of people have the lines memorized from Christmas Vacation so everyone kind of knows what that means and it kind of will hopefully give people a little bit of a chuckle. Of course on the flip side, we do have people who don't like it, but we can't please everyone," Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Jennifer Flynn told CBS affiliate WDEF.
In the movie, "Cousin Eddie" is seen dumping the holding tanks from the family's RV into the storm drains in an affluent neighborhood. A man residing in the neighborhood sees Eddie, who then says "Merry Christmas. S***er was full."
Over 160 signs have been programmed with this message across Tennessee's interstates.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol shared a photo of one of the signs on social media, writing "What a perfect message for this time of year on myTDOT overhead signboard! ????"
Illinois is also using the tactic this holiday season, one year after drivers in Mississippi got the same message above their highways.
