ADOT ups its game as Star Wars: "The Force Awakens" premiere nears

The Arizona Department of Transportation, which became nationally famous earlier this week after unveiling new Star Wars-themed signs against aggressive driving, is at it again.

These may not be the puns you're looking for, but they're pretty darn funny.

ADOT unveiled a new sign overnight - hours before 'The Force Awakens' is set to premiere in Phoenix-area movie theaters.

The latest channels the great Luke Skywalker and notes that he always wore his seatbealt.

"Trust the Force" the signs say, "But always buckle up." The force is, indeed, strong with ADOT.

As we all know, this isn't the first time ADOT used pop-culture references to catch commuters eyes and deliver important safety tips. Just last month they invoked the memory of a controversial New York Times recipe using peas and guacamole to warn drivers against drunk driving.

But this time, ADOT isn't acting alone. The transportation departments in Utah, Iowa, Colorado and Arizona all brushed up on their Star Wars trivia, channeled the force and coordinated their messages this week.

Signs appearing in other states include:

“Awaken your inner force. Focus on the road.”

“Texting and driving leads to the dark side.”

"The force is strong with you. Put down the phone.”

“Be a rebel, not a clone. Put down the phone.”

“Road rage? Let the Wookiee win.”

“All of us had the same approach to it; we have a serious message to get out about stopping aggressive driving. If we can tap into popular culture with some humor, that’s going to get people’s attention,” said Tom Herrmann, one of four people who handles the @ArizonaDOT Twitter account.

Their warning against the Dark Side is certainly getting noticed.

Though Herrmann has only tweeted about the sign twice, he’s seen the messages liked, retweeted and commented on about 500 times.

“Our approach to Twitter and Facebook is to engage with people and to get them the information they need as quickly as possible,” Herrmann said. And while they don’t make light of serious accidents, Herrmann said his team does try to connect with people through what’s important to them: whether it’s information about their commute or – especially this week – Star Wars.

So will we see more Star Wars-inspired messages? It's likely. Herrmann hinted that drivers should be on the look out for another message Wednesday.

The latest episode in the Star Wars franchise, "The Force Awakens," opens in select theaters Thursday night.