A cross marks the spot: a study of roadside death memorials in Texas and Oklahoma

Abstract

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) resulting in death have been a serious concern for many years. However, the placement of roadside death memorials (RDMs) at collision sites has become increasingly common in the United States, in the memorialization of those deceased because of MVCs. This practice has been used in numerous countries for hundreds of years. Of the 78 sites observed, most were for males whose deaths had occurred in the past year and were placed by both family members and friends. The sites include the use of a cross and flowers whose meaning is obvious; however numerous other artifacts are found, the meaning of which is less obvious. Some of the functions served by these memorials are to prolong the memory of the deceased in a public place and to communicate with the deceased and to society. RDMs are used by mourners as a way of coping with the sudden and tragic nature of deaths from MVCs.