Road signs would honor crash victims, provide alternative to spontaneous memorials

The sometimes elaborate memorials have drawn concern, however, that they are distracting and pose a safety hazard.

Bayard State Sen. Steve Erdman has introduced a measure, Legislative Bill 612, that would provide a new option for mourning family and friends who would like to put a memorial at a crash site: official road signs. The legislation would apply to Interstates and state highways. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

The signs would allow for a more permanent, safer alternative to spontaneous memorials, Erdman said, and would simultaneously honor victims and raise awareness of driving safely.

Erdman said his neighbor’s brother, Arlyn Kreman, was killed at 54 by a drunk driver on Highway 26 in Scotts Bluff County.

If passed as introduced, the memorials would be blue and triangular and would include the names of the deceased, and could include a photo.

One of four messages would accompany the memorial: “Please Drive Safely,” “Seat Belts Save Lives,” “Watch for Bicyclists” or “Don’t Drink and Drive.”

Someone would have to apply for a sign to be erected. The sign would remain on the roadside for a decade, with the option to reapply. Drunk drivers who died would be excluded.

The applicant would pay for the signs, and Erdman said he expects there to be little opposition to the bill because there is no cost to the state.

Lancaster County currently has a similar program, but it applies only to county roads.

About 20 states provide for road sign memorials, said Arthur Jipson, a professor at the University of Dayton in Ohio who has researched roadside memorial legislation.

Including a photo of the victim, which this bill allows, would be unique to Nebraska, Jipson said. He expects some to argue that a photo would be too distracting.

Many states ban spontaneous memorials, though the laws are not often enforced to their full extent, Jipson said. Erdman isn’t suggesting any changes to how such memorials are regulated in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation will remove memorials if they are a “clear hazard” or they impede the ability to do work on the roadside and can’t be moved to a fence line, said spokeswoman Jeni Campana. The department then keeps removed memorials until they can be returned to the families.

Nebraska has no state law specifically about spontaneous roadside memorials, Campana said. Instead, the law regulates all objects near roads. But more consideration is given to keeping or moving memorials than campaign signs, for instance.

“There’s a lot of emotion attached to it,” she said. “We have to balance that along with our needs that go along the roadside,” including a “clear zone” on the side of the road.