Illinois Drivers to be Distracted by Memorial Signs for Distracted Driver Accidents

I'm not sure this is going to help solve the problem:

Illinois residents will soon be able to buy temporary roadside signs along state highways to remember loved ones who died in vehicle crashes.

Gov. Quinn signed the Roadside Memorial Act into law earlier this year. It allows roadside memorials for those killed in fatal accidents. Current Illinois law only allows memorial for those who died in alcohol-related crashes. The law is effective Jan. 1.

The law was inspired by Cheryl Miller, 47, whose 5-year-old son Adam died in a distracted driving crash in 2008 on Plainfield-Naperville Road in Naperville.

Cheryl's husband, John, had parked in the right-hand lane of the road, which didn't have a shoulder, after he got a flat tire. He had turned on his emergency lights, but Joseph Cox, 26, of Naperville, slammed into his car. Cox told police he was distracted because he was trying to pick up a cigar that had rolled off the front seat.

"He made a decision to take his eyes off the road, and my son ended up dead," Miller told the Rockford Register-Star.

"Initially, when I asked for a sign, they told me it was only for victims of DUI crashes. There was nothing for distracted driving," he told the newspaper.

Cheryl Miller said she pushed for "recognition for my son, but more importantly, awareness."

The new memorials will say "Reckless Driving Costs Lives" in white lettering on a blue panel. Name plaques can be added. They will cost $150 and remain at a site for two years. After that, the marker will be turned over to the family.

The accident was a terrible tragedy, but roadside memorials, whether state sanctioned or not, are a distraction in and of themselves. Your eyes are naturally drawn to them to see if you can figure out what happened, and that will make driving in those areas a little more dangerous.