Friday Five: Sign Theft, Safety, and Language

Did Caltrans employees steal signs like this one?

Former Caltrans employees accused of stealing signs Five former employees of the California Department of Transportation are being held in the Monterey County Jail on $1 million bail. Their crime? Claiming overtime, and stealing highway signs. This is not funny. At all. And especially not the fact that the bail price is unusually high for Monterey County. “We take this very seriously,” says Caltran. After all, the diabolical thieves certainly stole the signs to start their own commercial empire. “When you drive down the highway, you don’t realize how big they are.” Indeed.

A reminder not to text while driving.

Alabama governor bans texting while driving Starting August 1, it will be illegal to text while driving in the state of Alabama. Says its governor, Robert Bentley, “I believe this will save lives.” He points to numbers from the Alabama Department of Public Safety, which reports that phones and related devices caused 1,256 accidents in the state in 2010. Alabama is the 38th state to ban texting while driving. At SmartSign, we’re working to raise awareness of the issue across states, and we’re giving away free signs to educators that promote our phone-free message.

A bilingual road sign.

Puerto Rico governor aims to make entire island bilingual by 2022 Puerto Rico governor Luis Fortuño has announced plans to make the U.S. territory entirely bilingual by 2022. The ambitious plan includes requiring all schools to teach English alongside Spanish, and to install bilingual traffic signs as well as English-language ones. “Bilingualism opens doors and provides opportunity to our children,” the governor said, “so they can shine and become successful.”

Billboard sends out call for atheists to shed fear Following our coverage last week of an apocalyptic sect’s billboards, we bring you news of billboards with a slightly more inclusive message. Billboards in San Antonio now seek to tell atheists that they aren’t alone, and there are may people who don’t believe in God. The United Coalition of Reason, which sponsors the billboards, hopes to create a safe space for atheists to share their ideas in an increasingly religious city.

An OSHA-regulation safety sign.

OSHA sets $56K fine for Bazzini worker amputation After eight serious violations and four related safety hazards weren’t fixed, a snack manufacturer may face over 50 thousand dollars in damages after a worker lost part of an arm in its factory last year. Bazzini Nuts, which makes snacks sold at concession stands, was cited by OSHA after a 46-year-old employee lost one arm below the elbow on November 11. According to Jean Kulp, director of OSHA’s office in Allentown, where Bazzini has its factory, “Employers are legally responsible for ensuring a safe and healthful workplace, and will be held liable should they fail to do so.”

– R. Fogel