Memorial cars

[vilakins]

While I'm here (and LJ is), this is something else I've been meaning to ask about.

A couple of months ago I was following a car with a man's full name on the rear window and something in a curving line above it which I couldn't read till I got closer. In a very fancy script it said, "In loving memory of". OK, that was weird, but then a couple of weeks ago I saw another car with a much more readable sans-serif "In memory of" followed by another name. Both names were fairly standard English ones FWIW.

Has anyone else seem this sort of thing and/or know anything about it? Is it a new thing or something old which has just surfaced here?

And now I'm off to a barbecue with some people from Greg's work. I hope some of the people I know relatively well are there.

Comments

[pebblerocker]

I've seen plenty of the car window memorials around, going back several years. My uncle has one for his son who died in an accident recently too. Not sure where the custom originated, apart from perhaps the increasing availability of vinyl stick-on lettering services. I wonder if it's more commonly done for people who have been killed in vehicle-related accidents.

[vilakins]

Then it's interesting that I've only seen two. Maybe it's a regional thing here?

[vilakins]

P.S. The custom came from the US; see this link posted below.

[lolmac]

Ewww, yeah. They're known as 'rolling tombstones' -- they're incredibly common here, and we (my partner and I) find them incredibly creepy.

I believe that the practice started in the US and dates back about a decade, and is not specific to any cultural group. It may have actually begun with Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39905-2004Aug27.html

[vilakins]

Thank you, that's really informative. We've had the flower and cross memorials beside the road for at least two decades but this is a new development here. I find them very strange too.

[mab_browne]

I've only seen one around my parts, for a young man who died in a shooting accident. Not that it was mentioned in the memorial, but the incident made news as you might imagine.

[vilakins]

I have since found that it originated in the US about 11 years ago. Maybe it was brought back by tourists who saw it there.

[watervole]

Haven't noticed any in the UK, but I don't tend to look at cars , so might have missed them.

Feels a bit creepy...

[vilakins]

I thought so too, but I'm OK with memorial park benches and flowers on the side of the road. Maybe these are a lot noticeable, at least while following a car. It must restrict their rear vision too.

My UK friends haven't seen any at all, but those here have seen quite a few; maybe it's regional.

[samantha-vimes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, people have been turning their cars into memorials for a while out here.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

When did it start? Was it with a particular cultural group, or does a wide cross-section of the population do it?

[thisbluespirit]

That sounds very strange to me. I can't say I've seen it here in the UK at all. We have memorial benches and I've even seen someone with one of them in their front - well - not really a garden, but in a car? It starts making wonder if the car's safe or something...

Hmm.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

On a car rather, the rear window to be exact. But yes, it must restrict some of the driver's view through it because the text does cover a lot of the window.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I've never seen it in the UK either. If it obstructs part of the rear window, then the driver could be rejoining his/her loved one unexpectedly soon.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

I see them very often here. I think they're often gang-related.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The two I saw definitely weren't. I'd say from what people have said here that they'll get a lot more common. It's a much more public memorial than a gravestone after all.

[threeoutside.livejournal.com]

I've seen them in Omaha (Nebraska, middle of USA) for maybe 10 -15 years? Some in obviously Hispanic cars, others in what I'd call blue-collar type appearing vehicles.

It's a nice remembrance, I guess, but it's kind of in the class with the "I believe in you, Jesus" billboards you see sprinkled around rural Nebraska. Really? Is he going to be driving by out here, and see this, and say, "Whoa, that's cool!"? I mean, rear-window memorials and Jesus billboards make me wonder who the audience is..

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I rather wondered too since I've only seen the two (and Greg hasn't seen any) but I suppose it's a much more public memorial than a gravestone and I don't find memorial park benches odd. It definitely seems to be a US thing that's beginning to catch on here.

[muscadinegirl.livejournal.com]

I see "In Memory Of" ones all the time here, on all sorts of vehicles, from super-expensive SUVs to old pickup trucks. Sometimes they say "In Loving Memory of Our Mother/Father".

I don't think there's any particular socio-economic class doing this here; I even saw one on a car at my uncle's funeral (not for my uncle, though).

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That's interesting! So at least I can tell that it's come from the US. I wondered where it had originated. I'm sure I'll see more and more; two is a very small sample.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I saw one recently for the first time and was puzzled / curious.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It started in the US about 12 years ago (see the link in the DW comments) and seems to have reached here. Oh well.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

Never heard of that before, it seems pretty odd but if it helps someone grieving anything ones I suppose. I hope it doesn't start here

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I expect cars provide a more public memorial and I don't mind park benches that do that. I still think cars are a bit odd though.

It started in the US about 12 years ago, I've been told. I suppose I'll see more and more if it's just getting here. :-P

[sheenaghpugh]

Never seen that in Scotland, nor anywhere else in the UK.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It looks as if it's only a matter of time.