diff --git a/selfdrive/controls/lib/alerts.py b/selfdrive/controls/lib/alerts.py
index 7ddb9f86c..63896638e 100644
--- a/selfdrive/controls/lib/alerts.py
+++ b/selfdrive/controls/lib/alerts.py
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ ALERTS = [
 
   Alert(
       "preDriverDistracted",
-      "KEEP EYES ON ROAD: Driver Appears Distracted",
+      "KEEP EYES ON ROAD: Driver Distracted",
       "",
       AlertStatus.normal, AlertSize.small,
       Priority.LOW, VisualAlert.steerRequired, AudibleAlert.none, .0, .1, .1, alert_rate=0.75),
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ ALERTS = [
 
   Alert(
       "startupNoCar",
-      "Dashcam mode with unsupported car",
+      "Dashcam mode for unsupported car",
       "Always keep hands on wheel and eyes on road",
       AlertStatus.normal, AlertSize.mid,
       Priority.LOWER, VisualAlert.none, AudibleAlert.none, 0., 0., 15.),
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ ALERTS = [
   Alert(
       "dataNeededNoEntry",
       "openpilot Unavailable",
-      "Data Needed for Calibration. Upload Drive, Try Again",
+      "Calibration Needs Data. Upload Drive, Try Again",
       AlertStatus.normal, AlertSize.mid,
       Priority.LOW, VisualAlert.none, AudibleAlert.chimeError, .4, 0., 3.),
 
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ ALERTS = [
   Alert(
       "calibrationInvalidNoEntry",
       "openpilot Unavailable",
-      "Calibration Invalid: Reposition Device and Recalibrate",
+      "Calibration Invalid: Reposition Device & Recalibrate",
       AlertStatus.normal, AlertSize.mid,
       Priority.LOW, VisualAlert.none, AudibleAlert.chimeError, .4, 2., 3.),
 
diff --git a/selfdrive/controls/tests/test_alerts.py b/selfdrive/controls/tests/test_alerts.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..faea3c06b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/selfdrive/controls/tests/test_alerts.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+import os
+import unittest
+from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+
+from cereal import log
+from common.basedir import BASEDIR
+from selfdrive.controls.lib.alerts import ALERTS
+
+AlertSize = log.ControlsState.AlertSize
+
+FONT_PATH = os.path.join(BASEDIR, "selfdrive/assets/fonts")
+REGULAR_FONT_PATH = os.path.join(FONT_PATH, "opensans_semibold.ttf")
+BOLD_FONT_PATH = os.path.join(FONT_PATH, "opensans_semibold.ttf")
+SEMIBOLD_FONT_PATH = os.path.join(FONT_PATH, "opensans_semibold.ttf")
+
+MAX_TEXT_WIDTH = 1920 - 300 # full screen width is useable, minus sidebar
+# TODO: get exact scale factor. found this empirically, works well enough
+FONT_SIZE_SCALE = 1.85 # factor to scale from nanovg units to PIL
+
+class TestAlerts(unittest.TestCase):
+
+  # ensure alert text doesn't exceed allowed width
+  def test_alert_text_length(self):
+    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(Image.new('RGB', (0, 0)))
+
+    fonts = {
+            AlertSize.small: [ImageFont.truetype(SEMIBOLD_FONT_PATH, int(40*FONT_SIZE_SCALE))],
+            AlertSize.mid: [ImageFont.truetype(BOLD_FONT_PATH, int(48*FONT_SIZE_SCALE)),
+                              ImageFont.truetype(REGULAR_FONT_PATH, int(36*FONT_SIZE_SCALE))],
+            }
+
+    for alert in ALERTS:
+      # for full size alerts, both text fields wrap the text,
+      # so it's unlikely that they  would go past the max width
+      if alert.alert_size in [AlertSize.none, AlertSize.full]:
+        continue
+
+      for i, txt in enumerate([alert.alert_text_1, alert.alert_text_2]):
+        if i >= len(fonts[alert.alert_size]): break
+
+        font = fonts[alert.alert_size][i]
+        w, h = draw.textsize(txt, font)
+        msg = "type: %s msg: %s" % (alert.alert_type, txt)
+        self.assertLessEqual(w, MAX_TEXT_WIDTH, msg=msg)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+  unittest.main()
diff --git a/selfdrive/test/process_replay/ref_commit b/selfdrive/test/process_replay/ref_commit
index 022d6d368..5a2b9f024 100644
--- a/selfdrive/test/process_replay/ref_commit
+++ b/selfdrive/test/process_replay/ref_commit
@@ -1 +1 @@
-852b5b42981cf17a18c7eebc9b501db2f5b0c33b
+852b5b42981cf17a18c7eebc9b501db2f5b0c33b
\ No newline at end of file