Electronic signs which were originally intended to warn motorists of construction near the intersection of Lamar and Martin Luther King boulevards were changed on Wednesday, announcing “Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!” The two signs are about a half-mile west of the University of Texas at Austin.

 

However, the spooky message was only displayed for a few hours, as the hackers cut a padlock to get into the signs’ computers. This stunt is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine. City officials speculate that the units were likely hacked by a local computer experts who broke into the access panels, changed the passwords and then rerouted the systems to display five different zombie messages.

 

Of course, in order to disable those messages, the sign manufacturing company had to be brought in, and they solved the problem really quick. The city is now happy to report that no zombies have since been seen in the area, but did offer up any advice in case next time the warnings turn out to be real: “Shoot them in the head.”

 

An interesting fact shows that traffic controllers actually reported that the signs generated substantial safety hazards thanks to drivers slowing down to view the messages and take photos. Other viewers also said that it’s really funny, and that’s because if real zombies were really present, people would have taken photos of them.

 

Even if most drivers found humor in the prank, city officials weren’t among them, as an official of the public works department said this is a really serious crime and they will do anything to keep the traffic safe from zombies and other problems.