The Story

Karen Monsalvatge
Scott duPont
Veronica Robles





The script of the Marker Memories...video is a simple one.

Mom, Dad and young daughter are on a drive. The daughter, played so well by Veronica Robles (who turned 10 two days after the filming), counts the roadside memorial signs they pass. Dad (Scott duPont) asks what she's counting and then explains to her what the "signs and the crosses with all the flowers" represent.

Veronica asks Mom (Karen Monsalvatge) why people die in crashes. Mom explains some reasons people "drive stupid" (my phrase).

Veronica thinks that is sad and continues to count markers as the family passes them.

Finally, her personal "Journey to Understanding" evolves and she asks Dad to stop at the next marker they see -- she wants to show respect for the person whose marker they stop at. She says a prayer for the crash victim then places her new doll baby at the marker's base.

The lesson behind the video's story is also simple: people die while driving.

The scenes of their deaths are often represented by a roadside memorial marker. As I wrote in the introduction, these markers can be found on city streets, interstate highways, even two-lane country roads.

Sadly, though, we often see these memorials but do not pay them much attention.

Only through suffering the loss of a loved one or close friend in a crash, or by learning what the memorials stand for, can we appreciate that a life ended where we see such a reminder.

Demonstrating our appreciation for life and giving the deceased the respect they deserve is not limited to roadside memorial markers but is also expressed at cemeteries, churches of all sorts, parades and a myriad number of other outlets.

We hope our video helps viewers appreciate that life is precious and may be taken away at any time.

As Jeanne Hyler explains so well in the video's second interview, in the brief time it takes to blink our eyes, snap our fingers or say "Oops, my cell phone is ringing" a life may be lost.

Please treasure your life and the lives of your family and friends and ask everyone you ride with to use their seatbelt and don't drive stupid.

The Video's Title

Marker Memories Part 1: A Journey to Understanding may seem to be a long title for a video.

But, there is reason behind it.

First, "Marker Memories." Because this video is about roadside memorial markers, the lost lives they represent and the memories relatives and friends retain of a crash victim.

Second, "Part 1." Additional scripts are in the works and I sincerely hope to post other highway safety videos that help explore the dangers our highways hold.

Third, "A Journey to Understanding." This is to portray the often long recovery time we go through when we've lost a loved one or a close friend, especially when they have died suddenly in a traffic crash. Grieving frequently continues for years.

And, for many people, driving past roadside memorial markers is often simply an exercise in travel. It's not until they learn the meaning of a roadside marker that true understanding comes about.

These markers are not an endorsement by government of religion, even if the marker has a cross or Star of David or other religious symbol. THAT is not true and is not what is important.

What is important is that these markers and their flowers, teddy bears, pictures or stories of the victim's life represent the last moments someone was alive, as Stacy Proscia so aptly explains in the video's first interview.

It doesn't matter if the crash victim was an offending driver or an innocent victim. The markers are a testament to their lives and a grim reminder to us all that life is precious and may be lost at any time.

Particularly when suffering occurs because someone drove stupid.

The Ripple Expands

Three years after The Crash Project began, Judge Bravo also adopted The Marker Project, a safe driving sentencing option used by other judges across the country.

But this one had added twists.

Defendants must view five roadside memorial marker sites, research crash reports and write about what happened and what could have been done to prevent the crashes. defendants also were required to clean up the sites, add something to them -- a teddy bear, real or artificial flowers, etc. -- and have a picture of themselves taken at the scene. In essence, this affected two people each time, since one was needed to take the photo.

As with The Crash Project essays, many of The Marker Project reports were emotional. A number of them were quite impressive -- submitted on art board with color photos, Internet research and additional pictures of the markers themselves.

It became obvious early on that defendants were truly being changed when they learned the markers represented real people, and when they realized the causes behind the crashes -- speeding, excessive alcohol, carelessness, recklessness, cell phone use and on and on.

More perfect examples of driving while stupid.

In the spring of 2006, during an analysis of the success of The Marker Project, a concern was voiced about liability if someone were injured as a result of being roadside at the marker sites.

As fortune would have it, during this time Judge Bravo happened to meet Robert Jakobsen. As they talked, Judge Bravo learned that Robert was a highly skilled videographer and asked if he would be interested in teaming with me, since I was familiar with The Crash and Marker Projects, to film a video on roadside memorial markers that defendants could watch in lieu of physically visiting the sites, thus eliminating any potential liability on the roadside.

Robert readily agreed. Over the next few month, he and I talked about a focus for the video. I wrote the first script one morning at 3 a.m. Over time, that storyline changed dramatically to nearly what appears in the finished video. One last minute inspiration was given me as I drove to meet everyone for the filming.

Originally, the actress daughter was to ask, as she rode with Mom and Dad, what the signs and crosses with all the flowers along the roads were. As I sat in traffic, I realized what kids do, and what we all probably did when we were young, is to count things. So the story changed to have the daughter counting and have Dad then ask what she was counting. This would lead to an explanation of what the markers represented and some reasons why people die in crashes.

This approach has seemed effective, especially to a close friend of mine who called me after he watched the video. If you've seen it, you may recall that it picks up with the daughter counting "five, six." My friend said after he watched the video, whenever he passed a marker he found himself counting "five, six."

Funny, but he's paying attention to the markers more now that he appreciates who and what they represent.

Dale Earnhardt Started a Ripple

Tragically, in 2001, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt died in a crash during a race in Daytona Beach, FL. His passing started a ripple that lead to the creation of the Marker Memories...video.

Allow me to explain...

Most of us have, at least once in our lives, tossed a stone into a pond, creating ever-widening ripples in the water. When we did this, we saw the effect the ripples had on our side of the pond. But, we never knew the effect they had on the pond's far side.

Our lives are like this.

Often, it seems what we do and the lives we live have no great influence on much of anything or anyone.

Sad, yes.

But, once in a while, an act we perform, a talk we have with another, even our passing, creates ripples that carry a positive influence far distances, much more so than we could ever have imagined.

Mr. Earnhardt's death lead to a ban on public viewing of autopsies, at least in Florida where Carmine M. Bravo serves as a compassionate, caring and creative judge. He told several driving defendants he wished he could have sentenced them to watch an autopsy. But, as mentioned, that was no longer an option.

I worked with Judge Bravo on a number of fundraising and other projects. The night after he sentenced the defendants -- one, 19, for driving 99 mph on an interstate highway, weaving in and out of traffic, driving on the road's shoulder; the other, 16, for taking her mother's car without permission and driving 84 mph in a 45 mph zone (two more examples of DWS, driving while stupid) -- I saw a Highway Patrol video on local government TV.

The video was Highway of Horror I and showed people who had died in crashes. I suggested to Judge Bravo we compile a scrapbook of pictures of vehicular homicide victims and have sentenced defendants look through this collection at the probation office, then write an essay about their thoughts, feelings and reactions to having done this.

The idea grew and, with the help of Highway Patrol Corporal Alan Conklin (the Marker Memories...video's third interview), brainstormed into what is called simply The Crash Project, a seven-step sentencing option used by several judges. This project involves reading Cpl. Conklin's report of a crash caused by a drunk driver that killed five people (the DUI driver is in prison for 40 years). The defendants answer 15 questions about information in the report, watch a video of the crash scene and a video of a Texas woman disfigured for life in a crash also caused by a drunk driver, then write an essay about their reactions, thoughts, etc.

The essays are extremely moving and emotional. One young man wrote that he believes if he hadn't had to work 15 minutes late the day of the crash that he and his buddies likely would have been involved in it. As it was, they arrived at the scene on their way to the beach just as a detour was being set up by rescue personnel.

That program will begin its eighth year in July, 2008. Approximately 2,000 drivers have completed The Crash Project.

How did this lead to the creation of the Marker Memories...video? I'll explain next time.

As always, please, drive safely.

A Video Blessing

The success of the Marker Memories...video has been quite overwhelming.

Robert Jakobsen won an individual award from AEGIS and a Crystal Reel award from the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association. I received two awards each from AEGIS and Telly, for producing and scriptwriting. He and I and Judge Carmine M. Bravo were recognized by the United Safety Council.

We are appreciative and thankful, but we are also humbled by the positive responses from viewers who have shared their sad stories of losing loved ones in traffic crashes.

Most gratifying of all is knowing we have touched people's hearts and have positively influenced so many drivers (us included) to change their driving behavior, to become more aware on the road, to slow down, not use cell phones or do the many other things that distract drivers.

During presentations, it is sobering to learn how many of those present have lost a relative or close friend in a traffic crash. Those who died may have been at fault, as in the video's first interview, or may have been an innocent victim, as in the video's second interview. Regardless, lives were altered, forever, leaving spouses, children, relatives, friends and co-workers behind.

It seems so senseless.

Yes, deaths on our roads occur, but are almost always the result (in my opinion) of someone driving while stupid. Rarely do we hear of a crash resulting from a vehicle having a broken axle, a blown engine or having a tire fall off.

Too frequently, what we do hear is of drivers losing control because of excessive speed, driving while impaired, being distracted (such as the 16-year-old boy who caused the crash detailed in the video's second interview), tailgating, and on and on.

Driving while stupid.

Is there a cure?

Please drive safely.

Get It In Writing!

5/1/2008

I had hoped to begin this blog by providing background on how the award-winning highway safety video Marker Memories Part 1: A Journey to Understanding came to be and also give background on the interviews shown in the video. But first I must address false claims by the singer who performed my song "A Long, Long Road to Say Goodbye."

I met the singer after I wrote the song's lyrics and composed its melody. She said she had been a singer for 30 years. She gave me a CD she compiled and I was impressed with two of her songs so I decided to offer her the opportunity to sing my song on the video.

It took quite some time for her to comprehend the song's simple melody. Finally, one night she seemed to get it and we went to a studio to record it (I paid the studio fees). Some people say it wasn't the best performance she could have offered, but she waited until the night before the videographer's deadline and after three hours we had no more time to redo it.

There was even a concern that including the song would disrupt the chosen background music, but I insisted.

Instead of being grateful for being able to perform on this video, the singer began claiming she composed the song's melody and denigrated my efforts writing "...all you did was the poem." Such gratitude! Especially after the opportunity she was given. But she steadfastly insists the melody was hers, even though she and I had not yet met when I wrote the song!

Because this was a volunteer project (more on this in a later post), there were no contracts or written agreements. I never expected her to try to position herself as some sort of professional singing diva, but she has. She even posted the song portion of the video separately from the video's full version, without my permission. She's also now claiming her occupation is as a "singer/songwriter."

Funny in that all the time we worked together she never once mentioned songs she's written. She's also claiming a copyright for authoring the song and for the music. As above, she admitted I wrote the lyrics.

The song was performed acapella, thus there is no music. Granted, the copyright office sometimes uses the term "music" instead of "melody" but what she's claiming is that "she composed the melody." Interesting that "her" version is what I tape recorded before we met. Hmmm.

And here is what the copyright office says about ownership: "Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form..." "Copyright exists from the moment the work is created."

As mentioned, I wrote the song and composed the melody in 2006 yet she claims a copyright for "music" dated July 2007, the month after the video premiered. It's obvious that while the video was undergoing editing that she pushed forward on her false copyright application. This shows how glory grabbing she is. While the rest of us were promoting the video, she was promoting herself.

Please do not use her for your projects. You're likely to regret it as I have.

The lesson here? If you are involved in a similar project, put everyone's rights and responsibilities in writing. That way, even if you are trying to help promote a "friend", you won't get burned as I did.

If you want to hear the song, please get its full effect by viewing the entire video.

To view the video, click this link:



Thank you.