Roadside Memorials

[eubank]

Yes, all agree that the man was a fool and killed his family as a result. Everybody knew that the winds were howling that day, and it was a crosswind for the runway. The airport manager tried to warn them away from attempting the take off, obviously to no avail. Of course, I'm sure it didn't help that this is a high elevation airport (8,400 feet), so practically no power, either.


Lynn

[switz]

Unfortunately, the cure for stupid is often fatal.

[cwf]

As a pilot, the thing that scares me
Most is riding with a pilot I don't know... Or "fearless" pilots.
There is an appropriate statement ,

"There are old pilots
There are bold pilots
There are no old-bold pilots"

[eubank]

I'm afraid that my post about the roadside memorial for the aircraft occupants sort of misdirected the thread. This thread is about the memorials per se, not about bad pilots and their victims.

Lynn

[Stefrobrts]

I'm 45 and it seems to me like these memorials have been around as long as I can remember, though usually more subtle than the one pictured at the start of this thread. Luckily people do their grieving and eventually let it go, else every road would be plastered with these memorials!

Up here in WA I have seen official signs for bicycle accidents where someone got killed, reminding people to watch for bicycles. Auto accident memorials seem to be the families and friends response.

One particular accident I remember back in the late 80s, while in I was in High School or just after, some kids got drunk and wrapped their car around a tree at high speed in my boyfriend's neighborhood. There was a memorial there for some time, which disgusted us, because they could have just as easily taken out anyone driving or walking in the neighborhood, or ran into someone's house, so I think it was fortunate the tree stopped them before they killed anyone. But kids came to pay their respects, and hopefully think about their own reckless actions. That memorial is long gone and the only evidence anything happened there now is a scar in the bark of the big tree by the road.

[rideair]

Here in Virginia there are rules, laws, etc... though you do see the "official" sign every now and again, the build your owns are far more common and though I undersdtand them, I've asked my wife not to ever do one of those things in my name.

Here's a pic of the "official" sign for VA and a link to the rules/laws as of 2007 for all the states and Virginia's DOT page just in case you have a need to build one.

Roadside Memorial Signs

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...e_Mem_Laws.pdf

Enjoy,

[overlander63]

Paul, that is the kind of sign I think would be appropriate, and mentioned here before. A simple metal sign with perhaps the name of the deceased, date of birth and death (optional), and a reminder to "Drive Safely".

[tvketchum]

The official, sanctioned memorials of the white crosses are placed out of the path of travel, behind gaurdrails , or next to signs. The homemade ones can be anywhere, be distracting or disruptive to traffic, and be a hazard. There was a fellow in Kentucky I read about in a nepaper, who insisted the spot where his daughter died in a crash be marked with a huge granite cemetary marker, right at the edge of the pavement. If the KY road crew removed it, he had another one placed. The interview with him gave me the impression he simply did not care if others were killed by his expression of grief. Expressing grief is one thing, but to willingly endager countless others is quite another.

[masseyfarm]

Thanks for posting this. It does bring some sanity to the situation. If there is a cost, there should be fewer long term issues and I also agree with the State approved/supplied sign with no alterations or additions.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...e_Mem_Laws.pdf

Dave

Originally Posted by rideair

Here in Virginia there are rules, laws, etc... though you do see the "official" sign every now and again, the build your owns are far more common and though I undersdtand them, I've asked my wife not to ever do one of those things in my name.

Here's a pic of the "official" sign for VA and a link to the rules/laws as of 2007 for all the states and Virginia's DOT page just in case you have a need to build one.

Roadside Memorial Signs

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...e_Mem_Laws.pdf

Enjoy,

[John&Vicki]

I think it's a sweet kind thing to do. And we can use more of both of those things in our world.

Poppy

[PhilipKS]

I've become accustomed to seeing them here in New Mexico, where the Latin culture of honoring the dead is quite strong. I don't remember noticing them as a youth in Kansas, but on my very infrequent trips to that region now, I do notice them there now.

Originally Posted by mstephens

There's an interesting slant running through several comments here. To paraphrase them: "The sum of one's life is what counts, not a memorial afterwords." What's interesting about that comment is that it runs completely counter to our new found national adoration of mass memorializations, which began perhaps with the Oklahoma City bombing, and really took off with the 9/11 event, and has continued in tone with all the school shootings. It also runs counter to our longstanding desire to publicly memorialize soldiers, certain leaders, and generals. In other words, memorialization seems welcome and appropriate in some cases, and not in others. And, as we all know, the "make shift memorial" consisting of flowers and candles and teddy bears at the site of celebrity wrecks or the shooting of children has become a cultural fixture.

Thanks for mentioning in the connection to Mexico. I know there is much more public celebration of the dead in that culture, and it would kind of make sense that this is related to that cultural practice. Just guessing of course.

The statement in bold struck me twofold. One, it seems to parallel the rise of 'You must not be a Loyal Patriotic American' if you don't wear a flag lapel pin. Two, those who deride other's levels of patriotism are often the very same defending their right to do what they please (read that how you will) and are often the very same people who are most intolerant of other's religious/cultural differences and beliefs.

But, to go back to the original intent of the thread: I find these memorials are an appropriate outlet for those rather abruptly left behind, as long as they are not too distracting. As others have said, I know the memorials have sometimes been effective in persuading politicians to approve highway improvement projects. The highway between Alamogordo and El Paso used to be known as a particularly dangerous stretch, and there are many memorials to prove it. In the years since that highway was converted to 4 lanes deaths have decreased dramatically, thus new memorials are rare.

[switz]

In Indiana, the magic number was about seven deaths at an intersection before something was done about it.

[mstephens]

Originally Posted by Birdmaestro

I think it's a sweet kind thing to do. And we can use more of both of those things in our world.

Poppy

Me too.

I don't find them any more distracting than kids standing on the curb waving those new 'human billboards for Pizza Hut', or the various ad hoc sandwich boards and flags out near the curbs. I like to think of balancing free expression with any harm it might cause. I think the balance here is favorable to the free expression side of the equation. If signs make you crash, maybe you should re-think driving?

[Gene]

I'll take a roadside memorial any day over those electronic animated casino signs that attract my eyeballs while I'm driving 65 down the interstate. Those dancing statue of liberties selling tax accounting are bad too.

If those roadside memorials start moving, I'm going to flip out.

Gene

[switz]

Nothing too distracting about the slap stick comedy of the casket opening and the person sits up and waves as road side entertainment.

[kmaggard]

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

I am indifferent about them, generally.

However, there is one in my immediate area that bothers me somewhat. The deceased driver was dead drunk when he wrapped his car around a telephone pole. It was later reported that he had numerous drunk-driving arrests and was driving w/o a valid licence when he made his rendevous with the pole.

His roadside "memorial" is a caustic reminder of his flagrant disregard for the lives/safety of others. Added to that is the cost inflicted by drunk drivers upon our public auto insurance/healthcare programmes.

Don't forget about the poor tree.

[Skater]

I've seen a few crosses, nothing as elaborate as some of the pictures posted! Wow. I don't mind the simple memorials; I just wish more people would pay attention and realize it could be THEM that's being memorialized...

I agree with FaN on the drunk driver one. There should be a thank you from all the people he could have killed but didn't.