Georgia Injury Law Blog
Memorial signs to auto accident and truck accident victims have been used around the country not just to commemorate the dead, but also serve as a warning to the living.As Atlanta auto accident lawyers, we believe that such stark signs help increase motorist awareness of the dangers of reckless driving and, therefore, help to decrease the number of auto accidents and truck accidents.The Georgia Department of Transportation has now announced that it will allow memorials to auto accident victims to be placed on federal and state highways.
Another program that allows highway memorial signs bearing the names of drunk driving accident victims on Georgia highways, is already in effect. That program was created through the efforts of the Department of Transportation, the Georgia Gen. Assembly and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in 2006. That program is separate from this new memorial sign program, and will continue as scheduled.
The new memorials will consist of 15- inch round, white signs containing the message Drive Safely: in Memory (name of the deceased).Families and friends of accident victims can request a sign for a $100 fee that will go towards installation and fabrication charges. The sign will be in place for a period of one year, after which it will be returned to the sponsor of the sign. However, families can only order these memorial signs through the Department of Transportation.
Families and friends of those killed in auto accidents or truck accidents on or after July 1, 2010, can make a request for the memorial signs by submitting an application, the accident report as well as the hundred dollar fee to the maintenance engineer at the DOT. The signs will be erected as close as practically possible to the site of the accident.
The memorial signs serve a dual purpose- they comfort the loved ones of victims killed in accidents, and also serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of recklessness, drunk driving and speeding on our highways.