No Memorial Needed

Many states are struggling with what to do about all the roadside memorials to those who have died in car crashes.

It's a tragic scene: a roadside cross, bouquets of flowers, perhaps some candles, a stuffed animal or a jersey from the local high school. Sometimes there's a hand-painted placard with a name and a date.

You drive by and get a mere glance, but you know there was a moment on this highway when something horrific happened and a person or persons lost their lives.

Unfortunately, highway deaths and roadside memorials (sometimes called descansos from a Spanish word meaning "to rest") have become so common that some states are seeking alternatives.

Joyce Keeler knows the pain of losing a loved one in a tragic automobile accident. Nearly 30 years ago, her son lost his life on a rural road in Delaware. For Joyce, driving by the site of the accident is still too painful. She avoids it, even all these years later.

Instead, Joyce goes to the Delaware Highway Memorial Garden at the Smyrna Rest Area near her home. Among the trees, shrubs and flowering plants, is a pathway lined with memorial bricks...