More and more these days one observes roadside memorials at the site of traffic accidents. Are they a good thing or is a local council correct in demanding that these tributes be removed after 30 days?
It is, of course, perfectly understandable that a grieving family might wish to mark the spot where they lost a loved one and that friends might want to express their emotional support and solidarity by also placing flowers and such like at the site.
There is, however, an unfortunate irony at work here. I'm sure that part of the motivation is for the bereaved to try to make sense of this lose by reminding people that the roads are a dangerous place and that drivers, cyclists and pedestrians must show due care and attention when they make use of them. However the very distraction these tributes could cause may, perhaps, make it more rather than less likely that another accident will occur in the very same place. If people wish to record their tragedy and preserve the memory of their lost loved one for posterity then perhaps the thing to do is to place a small discrete memorial at the side of the road. I've observed this in a number of countries and the effect is touching but not distracting. These small faux tombstones remind people of what happened but are, hopefully, less likely to cause the same thing to happen again. Its a thought; what do others think?
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