Maybe you heard about the accident on the evening news, and now you recall the tragedy every time you pass the makeshift memorial. Or perhaps you say a silent prayer as you wonder who the victim was and what happened at that location. Either way, the memorial has served its purpose: to tell passersby about someone’s husband or wife, mother or father, friend or neighbor who died on that spot.

Grief Therapy for Survivors

Roadside memorials can be therapeutic for survivors, according to E. Jean Scully, psychotherapist, bereavement counselor and retired professor at the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University. Scully states, “When a loved one is violently taken, it leaves you unable to say goodbye . . . and creates a helpless need to connect to that spot.”

Jackie Quiram would agree. When Jackie’s best friend, Liz Brick, was killed in a car accident, Jackie wanted to mark the spot where Liz died, but she couldn’t find a suitable cross for the purpose. Jackie finally made her own weather-resistant oak cross, attached artificial flowers and a framed photo of Liz, and placed the memorial at the scene of Liz’s accident. Months later, Jackie launched Roadside Memorials to make the crosses available to other mourners.

Highway Safety Headache

These simple, poignant reminders of lives suddenly ended are not without critics, however. As roadside memorials become more common, some states, such as Texas and West Virginia, have taken measures to ban them.

Most recently, the family of a Florida teenager who died in a train accident was informed that they’d have to remove a roadside memorial honoring their son. Florida Department of Transportation officials claim the memorials cause safety hazards and hinder mowing operations.