Editorial

Official traffic memorial signs are worth a try

Monday, December 31, 2007

Since too many teens apparently don't use good judgment when getting behind the wheel, the state is imposing new restrictions beginning Tuesday.

Starting Jan. 1, teens can be ticketed if they're talking on the phone or text messaging while they're driving. And, for the first six months after they get their license, they can't have someone under 19 in the car with them, unless it is a family member.

New drivers also need 50 hours of supervised driving or a driver's safety course, and, they'll have to wait for six months after they get their learner's permit to get a driver's license.

It seems silly that anyone would try texting while behind the wheel, but amazingly, many teens think they are able to do it -- even without taking their eyes off the road, at least while sending.

But the simple fact remains that most young drivers just don't have the wheel time to be safe, competent drivers. And, we've see hidden camera TV investigative reports that show just how distracted teen drivers become when other teenagers are in the car.

Add cellular phones and other electronic distractions like video iPods, plus icy streets and roads like we're experiencing now, and it's a wonder there aren't many more tragedies.

So, regrettably, add underage cellphone scofflaws to the list of traffic miscreants authorities are expected to police. Once again, lack of self-control has caused a segment of society to lose another measure of freedom.


Drive through the rural Nebraska countryside, and you'll see reminders of just how dangerous travel can be.

Dotted here and there, near guardrails and bridges, and even along straight, level roads, are crosses, arrangements of artificial flowers and other memorials to people killed in traffic accidents.

We sympathize with the people who placed the memorials alongside the road. We have to admit, they are a poignant reminder of the need to drive carefully.

But it's illegal to erect memorials and signs on state rights-of-way. And, officials say, those safety reminders can also be a dangerous distraction.

In practice, if they're in the way when maintenance crews are mowing, they're taken to shops and kept for a time in case families come looking for them.

The state is reportedly considering a program allowing friends and survivors to pay for a state-issued sign encouraging driver safety in honor of the victims.

After a year, the signs would go to the family that paid for it.

Although certainly safer, we wonder whether an "official" sign would get more attention than the makeshift memorials. We agree, however, that the state has the right, and duty, to keep rights-of-way clear.

Whatever the system, however, any effort to reduce traffic fatalities is worth a try.


The most important safety tip for today, New Year's Eve, is "Don't drink and drive." If you're out on the town, designate a sober driver or keep the number of the cab company or sober friend handy in case you've celebrated a little too much.

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