Virginia Road Deal (?) and Virginia Highway Memorial Bill

Virginia Highway Memorials--A Great Idea Whose Time Has Come

Virginia Delegate Watkins Abbitt has introduced a bill that would provide for installation of official highway signs in memory of those killed by drunken drivers. (Hat tip to the Virginia Progressive for this bit of info.) (And thanks to Ericgould.net for the powerful photo montage above.)

We like this idea, but would extend it a bit further. Anyone who has driven around Virginia's congested byways can't help but notice the informal roadside memorials that dot our highways, usually a small cross or other marker surrounded by a few flowers. These are great reminders that of all the dangers of modern society, driving has the highest risk of you getting killed by someone else (as opposed to smoking and other behaviors, where you kill yourself).

We'd like to see the Virginia Dept. of Transportation develop a standard marker, modest in size, but distinctive from other highway signs, that would instantly be recognized as a symbol that someone--a real person with family and friends--died in a transportation accident at that site (the markers should have the names of victims--IF the family consents). It would not take long for drivers to see just how dangerous our highways are, and might prompt people to drive in a more civilized manner.

Markers could come in variants of crosses, stars of David, crescents (sorry Virgil Goode!) and a secular design.

(It would be possible to develop a variation in the marker to identify those who were victims of drunken drivers. Personally, the Curmudgeon sees little difference in being killed by a drunken driver, killed by an aggressive driver, or killed by a careless driver on a cell phone--the result is the same each way.)

We'd even be in favor of a modest pilot program to work out the kinks--we think public support would be strong and the markers would be a far less expensive way to raise public awareness of driving risks than most other campaigns.

And, we'd ultimately like to see the program go national.

Virginia Road Deal ??

The Washington Post reports that GOP leaders in Virginia are close to reaching a deal on road funding. Much as we'd love to see the Virginia Republican Party go down in flames in November--a good possibility if a serious transportation bill is not voted out this session--we hope such a deal materializes. In the end, it is much more important that Virginia get started down the path to fixing its transportation problems--a process that will take years to complete--than to have continued partisan gridlock in the Virginia House of Delegates. (Make no mistake, it's the House, not the Senate, where the problem resides.)

If a road deal is reached, it will be interesting to see if Republicans can keep everyone under control long enough to get legislation passed. No doubt, rural conservatives unconcerned with the transportation nightmare of their urban neighbors in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia will put pressure on their delegates, many of whom are in key leadership posts, to reject any bill with increased taxes.

Even if the Legislature does finally reach agreement on a transportation funding bill this term, we expect Democrats to make at least small gains in both houses this November as a result of the changing demographics of Northern Virginia's booming population, but probably not enough to gain a majority.