Before losing someone to the toll I never really thought they were about 'grieving'. Still don't - just as a warning is how I saw / see them.
Before losing someone I found crosses annoying for reasons others said - as in ?relevance. As in ? could be distracting etc etc.
My mum who has one now didn't approve of them either I think I recall her saying. My Dad is an extreme anti christian (prolly moreso than antichrist) so I was stunned beyongd belief when he put a cross up.
But the good side is that the cross has raised awareness by featuring in newspapers, it and ones like it prick the killers consciences (I hope) and do remind people that roads are just as much gorey battlefields as they are sanitary transport venues.
The main value I see for crosses is that they put egg on transits face where the egg is needed, which may help get safer engineering where needed.
When crosses mount up and it's clearly a road fault things happen. No crosses - no action. Just don't like the over decorated ones as they do make me fixate.
Re those crosses that make you go WHAT, its often not a matter of 'how did some one manage to die or kill themself here' as someone said they wonder.
The scariest thing about the road is that a large part of the toll is not caused by you or the conditions. It is caused by some arsehole who usually survives deciding to cross the centre on a straight and take you or your family out.
I agree with commemorating peoples lives not where they died as Beer said, but when it comes to traumatic disasters the place does get significance to the victims. Places get stained where there is huge suffering and that fact for the family often eclipses ability to focus more on the victims life than death for the family for quite some time. Thats why we have national monuments for air disasters, war, things like Cave creek etc.
Just cos the road death disaster is scattered doesn't mean the same psychology and human needs don't still apply, many countries have National monuments for toll victims.
Also lost a friend to the toll. I feel good her parents put a cross up somehow as I like to acknowledge her life and send sympathy for her agony and hopefully healing from it when I pass. Where they died does matter, people need to remember we all depend on each other on the road! Keep it personal.
Glad you had your ceremony and hope the new cross might save someone.
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