Keystone Corner
Created | Updated Sep 25, 2002
663 dead last year and they're talking about stuffed
animals?
The big newspaper in my hometown recently opened on its editorial page that the state
Legislature should pass a law regulating the size and scope of roadside memorials.
Now I know in last week's Keystone Corner I talked about how much fun I have playing
with my country's bureaucracy, but do we really need a special department in charge of
regulating roadside memorials.
For those of you who are not familiar with this phenomena, let me explain. Roadside
memorials are spontaneous outpourings of grief and sympathy that appear along the side of the
road in areas where a fatal traffic accident occur. These memorials can range from unadorned
white crosses to a wide assortment of personal items like teddy bears, photos, flowers and
balloons.
One such roadside memorial recently was created at the site of a fatal accident in which
five people were killed when their car was struck head-on by another vehicle which police say
was travelling 70mph and operated by an intoxicated driver. At the crash site are a number of
crosses (some over six feet high), balloons, flowers, stuffed animals, memorial cards and
photos.
The display of sympathy and mourning is so large that passing motorists slow down to gawk
and all the stuff, creating a traffic hazard. So the local police announced their intention to
remove the display from the roadside which as you can imagine upset the family and friends
who created it.
So what's the solution?
I don't honestly think having 'taste police' come out and decide if the roadside memorial is
too large or gaudy and whether it needs to be removed is the answer. In the grand scheme of
things, there are some serious problems facing Pennsylvania and the size of roadside memorials
is probably way down on the list.
Increased penalties for driving while intoxicated would be a good place to start.
Last year, 1530 people died in car accidents in Pennsylvania and in 43 percent of those, the
driver of one of the vehicles was drunk. It's even worse with younger drivers - on nights of
the school prom and again on the night of their school's graduation ceremonies, 63 percent of
the highway deaths of teenagers are attributable to drunken drivers.
Yet the drunk driver rarely dies himself. I don't know why this is the case except that
perhaps it's because he's so wasted that his body naturally goes limp during the impact and
prevents serious injury?
We have had a number of people killed recently in this corner of the Keystone State by
drunk drivers who themselves have survived the crash. So in addition to being charged with
driving while intoxicated, they are charged with vehicular homicide and often are sentenced to
many, many years in prison.
But wouldn't it make more sense to prevent drunks from getting behind the wheel in the
first place? Tougher penalties for drunk driving and decreasing the standard needed to
convict drivers who have been drinking would be a good place to start.
I've got a pretty low opinion of our state Legislature to begin with - as a group they're
arrogant and among the highest paid in the nation. They also have the bad habit of never
passing laws that might upset people and jeopardize their chances of re-election.
We haven't had many serious legislative initiatives because of this gutless approach to
governing.
So it's very likely that we'll see a law regulating roadside memorials before we see tougher
penalties for morons who get drunk and then drive home. Chances are they'll limit the size of
the memorial before attacking the problem that results in the need for the memorial.
Sorry this column is longer and less funny than I'd have liked, but this issue is very
important to me. And it should be to anyone who drinks and considers getting behind the wheel
of an automobile.
