SCDOT offers families highway memorials

COLUMBIA -- In effort to protect the lives of people who put up roadside memorials to honor their loved ones, the state Transportation Department will offer its own signs -- for a fee.

Buck Limehouse, secretary of the state Department of Transportation, said Thursday the agency will charge families $250 to purchase the signs, which the state will maintain for two years. Applications will be accepted beginning Aug. 9.

"In years past, families that have lost loved ones have put their own lives in danger when placing memorials along roadsides," Limehouse said in a statement. "The uniform memorial and plaque will provide a safe remembrance for lost loved ones, but our commitment is still focused on reducing fatalities and the need to place these memorials."

The agency won't make a profit off the signs, said Pete Poore, director of communications.

Poore said it was not clear whether homemade memorials would be banned from the side of South Carolina highways. In the past, he said the signs have been left untouched, provided they hadn't posed any safety hazards.

The signs will be 24 inches by 24 inches with the words "Drive safely" accompanied by smaller memorial plaques with the phrase "In memory of" followed by the victims' names, or anonymous plaques to honor "a loved one."

S.C. Department of Public Safety Director Mark Keel said the signs are a good idea.

"The memorials should provide some comfort for victims' families, while also serving to remind passing motorists to remain alert and to drive safely," Keel said in a statement.

Roadside memorials for sale

The state Department of Transportation will begin selling roadside memorials for $250 beginning Aug. 9.

Apply online at www.scdot.org or via mail to Attn: Roadside Memorials, P.O. Box 19, Columbia SC, 29202-0191. Applications must include a copy of the accident report issued by the law enforcement agency that investigated it.

--Signs are available only on highways; the DOT does not have jurisdiction on county or city roads.

--No signs can be placed in front of homes or businesses.

--Memorial signs are available within a year of the crash, unless an exception is granted.

--Applications must be submitted by an immediate family member of the victim, including parents, children, spouse, siblings, grandparents or grandchildren.

--The memorial plaques will be removed after two years and sent to the family member who applied for it.

--No signs will be installed for victims who were directly involved in criminal activity that led to their deaths, such as drunken driving, reckless driving or fleeing law enforcement officers.