Death memorials on car windows? What gives?

[Fishman7]

I know I will get crap for this but they kinda bother me for some reason, I'm not sure why. Anyone else? They are all over cars, trucks, etc in Pa and in NY.

[Jim Richards]

I haven't seen them here, but, I don't know what to look for.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I always found them kind of funny. "In loving memory of so-and-so". Yeah, so to commemorate them we went out and bought a GMC Jimmy. LOL!

Wonder what the dearly departed think when the buyer crashes the car. Or sells it. Or defaults on it and gets it repoed... That's just INVITING a haunting!

[masraum]

The roadside crosses and wreathes aren't much better. But then I'm not the type to visit a gravesite either. I guess I understand, though. Folks just need to let go.

[Racerbvd]

Yea, we see them down here as well.. Seams they started (at least when I 1st noticed them) was when Dale Sr. hit the wall in Daytona. After that, R.I.P. 3 car stickers were on the side & back of lots of trucks, then after a black kid shoots another one, then there were lots of those decals showing up..
What ever floats your boat, everyone has their own way to grieve, if it helps make them feel better, more power to them...

[Tishabet]

I've seen them quite a bit in my area, around here they seem to be predominately for people who have died young, lots of 20-30 year olds.

[tcar]

'course a lot of us have the Warren Hall (Early S Man) decals on our cars...

Great guy.

[chapo]

never understood them. the wreaths or crosses on the road make a little more sense. accident happened here, last place to see the deceased, etc. i mean everyone has someone the could do the decal for.

[Jagshund]

Never made sense to me: Let's eulogize our fallen with a large sticker to distract other drivers!! My family member died so yours should, too!

[looneybin]

what about all the RIP car washes
usually for dead gang bangers

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Fishman7

I know I will get crap for this but they kinda bother me for some reason, I'm not sure why. Anyone else? They are all over cars, trucks, etc in Pa and in NY.

Someone dies. Friends and relatives paint the name on their car windows with soap to memorialize the person.

It's a ghetto thing, they've been doing it for at least 15 years.

That's the long and short of it.

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Someone dies. Friends and relatives paint the name on their car windows with soap to memorialize the person.

It's a ghetto thing, they've been doing it for at least 15 years.

That's the long and short of it.

+1

I see ALOT of them near Flint.

[TechnoViking]

It's decals here, and more of a WT thing. I find it weird but, like someone said, whatever floats your boat. It's a free country.

[sailchef]

In southern Delaware the crosses with flowers along the side of the road are attended to almost the same as in a cemetary for the first year after a fatality. After that you see them pop up for the aniversary. Last week an older guy was mowing the grass around a cross where an accident happened just 2 two weeks ago. It was a 27 year old women hit head on by a very large truck. It was more than likely her father cutting the grass and placing fresh flowers.

I've always looked at them more as a "caution sign" to other motorists as they tend to be located on hazardous corners etc.

[sc_rufctr]

I hope I don't offend anyone by posting this.

My theory is... People who do this are seeking attention.

Often when people are mourning the loss of a loved one they seek comfort and support from friends or relatives.
People seek attention for all sorts of reasons and most of those reasons don't make sense to you and I.

I have often seen RIPs on cars for someone the owner of the car didn't even personally know. What sense is there in that?

For instance... Peter Brock was a famous Australian racing car driver. Very successful and very popular. Peter Brock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've lost count of how many RIPs are on back windows in Australia dedicated to this guy.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what Peter Brock achieved but I feel people should let him rest in peace but they won't.

[sammyg2]

Around here it's a cultural thing.
Same as putting candles and flowers and such at make-shift memorials, and putting those stupid stickers in the back window telling the whole work you are not responsible enough to control your breeding.

[daepp]

I have found it odd for years. In So Cal it started at least 10+ years ago. As sorry as I may be for their loss, they certainly come across as attention seekers to me. And I would also concur it has its ghetto fans - in fact, many of the in-memoriums are to under 30 boys...

[URY914]

It seems to be more of a redneck thing around here. Back window on pickup trucks have them. "RIP Billy Bob 1985-2009" They seemed to have died young doing something stupid.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by URY914

"RIP Billy Bob 1985-2009" They seemed to have died young doing something stupid.

Last words: "Hold my beer. I'm gonna try somethin'...."

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by DAEpperson

I have found it odd for years. In So Cal it started at least 10+ years ago. As sorry as I may be for their loss, they certainly come across as attention seekers to me. And I would also concur it has its ghetto fans - in fact, many of the in-memoriums are to under 30 boys...

Much the same down here.

Have you ever seen teenage girls mourn when one of their "friends" dies?
What I mean by "friends" is someone who went to their school but they didn't actually know that person.

It happened recently at the High School my girls went to. A girl from the school was tragically killed in a car accident.
Apparently she wasn't that popular but on the day of the funeral just about every girl that was in the same year as her was there. Almost 400 of them!
My girls didn't go but some girls that did said the church was full of crying and hysterical teenage girls.

The same thing happened when Princess Dianna died but on a global scale.
It was just crazy seeing those sea of flowers in front of Kensington and Buckingham Palace.