Cartoon overhead sign depicts driver and passenger cracking gags in car; hazard warning amuses tourists and locals alike
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenFran Luin BeijingPublished: 2:00pm, 9 Mar 2026The northern Chinese city of Tianjin is the only place in the country that has road signs warning drivers not to make jokes while driving for their safety.
The sign features a cartoon of a driver and a passenger cracking jokes, with a slogan that says “Making jokes while driving is a safety hazard”.
It went viral after several tourists spotted it and posted it online, and came as a shock to both travellers and locals.
“It is true that only Tianjin needs a sign like this,” said one tourist.
A Tianjin local said: “We do need this because my husband often misses turns or red lights when I ride with him. I did not know other cities do not have such a sign.”
Many said the sign confirmed the stereotype about Tianjin that “everyone there is funny”.
