Tollway wants would-be Don Drapers to coin safety slogans

“Got bail?”

“I'm not lovin' it ... when you text and drive.”

“Just do it — buckle up.”

The Illinois tollway is offering a chance for advertising executive wannabe's to get their 15 minutes of fame with a safety message contest.

Until March 27, would-be Don Drapers can submit punchy slogans to the tollway's website, www.illinois tollway.com, that deter people from drunken or distracted driving and not wearing seat belts.

The agency will pick top contenders and allow the public to vote on three favorites between April 8 and 16. Winners will be announced April 20 and displayed on 37 electronic messages signs on toll roads through 2015.

Entries should be succinct and catchy with no profanity allowed.

The intent is to create messages that remind customers to drive responsibly and reduce crashes, Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said at a Wednesday finance committee meeting.

Other states including Tennessee and Iowa successfully held similar contests, she said. “There is always a bit of a struggle to figure out how to get these safety messages across in a limited amount of space, so engaging more people is a good idea and a fun way to enhance our safety messages.”

There are no monetary prizes for winning entries but plenty of bragging rights, officials said.

The judges who select finalists will come from the agency's communications, legal, engineering and executive departments along with Illinois State Police District 15. The agency is looking for “clarity, creativity, conciseness and topical pertinence.”

A 2014 distracted-driving prevention campaign by the tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation with the catch phrase “Drop It and Drive,” resulted in about 66,000 views of the related Web page. Administrators hope to achieve similar attention with this effort.