Gayle Hanson only lately has been able to use I-20 when she travels to Atlanta or places west of her Conyers home. This is a major accomplishment.
Two years ago, her son died on that interstate. A police officer, Robert Shane Wilson, was answering a late-night call when a motorist heading the wrong way crashed into his cruiser, killing the 27-year-old. Police said Wilson was the victim of a drunken driver.
Wilson’s mother was unable to drive by the spot where her son’s life ended so suddenly, so soon. A blue metal sign has changed that.
The sign, paid for with state and federal money, commemorates Wilson — husband, dad and son, killed Nov. 14, 2011. Daily, his family grieves.
Wilson’s memorial is posted on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of I-20 about a mile west of Panola Road, close to the spot where he died.
“Shane was someone who could find the finest in people when their worst was showing,” said his stepfather, Jim Hanson.
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, an apt time to raise awareness of the perils of getting behind the wheel after having too much to drink. Police are especially vigilant for impaired drivers now, as people leave office parties, neighborhood gatherings and other events where alcohol flows.
The state Criminal Justice Coordinating Council is participating with the DUI Memorial Fund. It pays for signs, such as the one on I-20, to remind motorists that drinking and driving can be deadly. At least 40 are posted on roadways across the state. Eight are in and around Atlanta.
Anyone killed by a drunken driver in what is deemed a vehicular homicide is eligible for a memorial, said Jacqueline Bunn, the council’s director.
“All the things we do are directed to the victims,” said Bunn, whose agency also administers the state Crime Victims’ Compensation program, an initiative that may offset funeral expenses, pay for counseling or foot other costs. “It’s the compassionate side of state government.”
The council's emphasis on the highway signs coincides with other official reminders to be careful this holiday season. Harris Blackwood, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, on Friday sent out a holiday email exhorting travelers to "drive sober, buckle up and limit distractions behind the wheel." In 2012, impaired driving claimed the lives of 301 people on Georgia's roadways.
Highway memorials are nothing new. The nation’s roadways are dotted with makeshift memorials — crosses made of wood or PVC pipe, artificial flowers fading in the sun — reminding passers-by that a loved one died in a crash. But Georgia is among only a handful of states that sanction memorials.
Ben Bridges, a Republican from Cleveland, sponsored legislation when he was a member of the state House that created the memorial fund that pays for the $150 signs. Bridges, who worked 30 years for the Georgia State Patrol, told lawmakers the signs might avert some of the carnage that impaired driving can cause.
Wilson’s sign is decorated with a spray of flowers that wave in the perpetual gusts of passing traffic. For Jim Hanson, it’s a reminder that his stepson lost his life doing what he loved: helping others. A Doraville police officer, Wilson was on call and responding to an alarm when the crash occurred.
A retired DeKalb County police officer, Hanson cannot talk long about Wilson without a quaver in his voice. “He was my stepson,” Hanson said, “but I raised him like my own. He was my son.”
Maybe, Hanson said, someone driving to a party will see that sign and call a cab for the trip home.
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