My heart goes out to any grieving family who has lost a loved one. However, I think that these roadside memorials have gotten out of hand, and I also feel that they cause a safety concern. It seems to be a phenomenon that has taken place over the past 10 to 15 years. I live near a road where unfortunately there have been many accidents over the years. There are several memorials on the road. At the one memorial there have been parked cars and groups of people apparently paying their respects. Cars had to swerve around the parked cars and the people. Another time there was a group of young teenagers dressed in suits and dresses walking to the site. There were so many of them that cars had to swerve around them. Is this safe? Another memorial on this road actually has solar powered lights that shine on it at night creating a distraction to night drivers. At this same memorial, I saw a young woman sitting straddled on the road with her rear-end literally on the edge of the road trying to take a picture of the memorial. Cars were swerving around her. I can’t believe she wasn’t hit. I feel that there is a place to pay your respects and it is not a busy and dangerous roadway. It is simply too dangerous. We have churches, cemeteries, and proper memorials. My mother died in a hospital room. Should I force the hospital to hang a plaque in this room in her memory? Would this be comfortable for other patients?
