When to Consider Alternatives
A roadside memorial sign is not the right fit for every family or every situation. You might consider alternatives when: your state's program does not cover your road type, the fee is prohibitive, your state requires a DUI conviction that does not exist, the crash happened on an interstate where signs are not permitted, or your family prefers a tribute in a different location or form.
The options below range from free to a few hundred dollars and cover both location-based tributes and virtual or ongoing memorial options.
Memorial Bench Programs
Memorial benches are one of the most popular alternatives to roadside signs. County and city parks departments in most jurisdictions offer dedicated memorial benches, typically with a small engraved plaque. The cost ranges from about $500 to $3,000 depending on the bench type, plaque, and installation. The bench is maintained by the parks department and can remain in place indefinitely.
How to apply: Contact your county or city parks and recreation department. Ask about their memorial bench or park dedication program. Most programs require a formal application, a donation to cover the bench and installation, and approval of the plaque text. Benches are typically placed in public parks, greenways, or trails.
Advantages: Permanent, maintained, in a pleasant location where family can visit. No DUI requirement. Not subject to road maintenance removal. Accessible regardless of whether the crash was on a state or county road.
Adopt-a-Highway Dedications
The Adopt-a-Highway program allows individuals, families, or organizations to adopt a section of highway in someone's honor. The adopter commits to litter pickup on the section (or arranges for it), and a sign is posted acknowledging the dedication.
How to apply: Contact your state DOT's Adopt-a-Highway program. Search "[state] adopt a highway program." Most programs accept memorial dedications. The sign typically reads something like "In Memory of [Name] — Adopted by [Family Name]."
Cost: Usually free or low-cost. The adopter's commitment is the labor of periodic litter pickup on the adopted section.
Advantages: Creates an ongoing, active tribute — something meaningful to do in the loved one's honor. Signs are official DOT signs and are maintained by the state. Available even when direct memorial sign programs do not apply (interstates, roads without memorial programs).
Tree Planting and Living Memorials
Many state, county, and municipal programs offer memorial tree plantings. The Arbor Day Foundation and many state forestry agencies have memorial tree programs where a tree is planted in a state forest or public land in someone's name.
Cost: Typically $25–$100 for a memorial tree certificate. Some programs plant the tree in a specific location; others add it to a general reforestation effort.
Notable programs: Many National Forests have memorial planting programs. Contact your state's forestry division or Department of Natural Resources. Some state DOTs also have roadside tree planting programs for beautification that accept memorial sponsorships.
Virtual Memorial Websites
Several nonprofit organizations maintain virtual memorial databases for traffic crash victims, allowing families to create lasting online tributes that include photos, stories, and tributes from friends and family.
- Roadways.org — National memorial database for road crash victims
- MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) — memory.madd.org — Virtual memorial wall for DUI victims
- Find a Grave and BillionGraves — Broader memorial databases that also accept traffic crash victims
Virtual memorials are free or very low cost, permanent, and accessible to anyone regardless of geography.
Highway Safety Advocacy in Your Loved One's Name
Many families find meaning in channeling grief into advocacy. Organizations like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), SADD, and state-level traffic safety organizations welcome volunteer involvement and sometimes accept donations to create named scholarships, safety programs, or awareness campaigns in a victim's name.
Memorial Scholarships
A named scholarship through a local high school, community college, or university is a lasting tribute that creates positive impact in the community. Most schools can establish a small endowed or annual scholarship with a contribution as low as $500–$1,000/year. The scholarship is awarded annually in the victim's name and creates a living legacy.
County Park Dedications and Named Features
Beyond benches, many county and municipal parks accept donations to name features — a trail section, a picnic shelter, a playground element — in someone's memory. Contact your county or city parks foundation or parks department for available options.