There's a little iron cross on the side of the highway, the vinyl flowers fading to gray

And the glass still shines like diamonds in the morning, underneath the little iron cross on the way

-- Jalan Crossland, "Little Iron Cross"

Those roadside memorials dot every highway in America.

They range from Mr. Crossland's little iron crosses to unsightly conglomerations of Styrofoam, plastic bouquets, plaques, poems, prayers, photos and stuffed animals.

Now West Virginia, following the lead of several other states, plans to standardize these highway shrines by offering families the option of state-maintained markers posted near crash sites.

The signs feature white-on-blue lettering and say "please drive safely in memory of" the victim.

The cost: $200 for three years.

The state says the idea is to improve safety for drivers who could be distracted by makeshift memorials and mourners who risk getting clipped by a speeding car while tending to them.

Simple, uniform memorials will also look nicer and make it easier for maintenance crews to mow around them.

"I think it's a great idea. You travel all over the southeast and you see so many markers and they're not always kept up," said Kevin Noe, 30, of Mingo County, whose mother was killed in a head-on crash last year. "I think this is just one of those things that is perfect for people to remember their loved one, to cherish that memory in a respectful way. I would love to be the first one."

The proposal by the Division of Highways is out for public review until Aug. 11. After that, the legislature will vote on it.

For the $200 fee, the state will make the sign, set it up and maintain it for three years. For another $200, the state will maintain it for three more years.

After that, the marker will be removed and given to the family.

Since 2001, West Virginia has allowed the placement of memorial markers, although they're banned on medians, bridges or anywhere they might interfere with traffic.

Permanent memorials require a permit, but the vast majority are temporary ones for which no permit is needed.

Families placing a memorial are supposed to contact the highway division district office where the crash occurred before setting one up, but many don't and the state looks the other way unless the memorial is a hazard.

"We don't bother them. It's a very sensitive issue," said Denise Roncone, permit supervisor in Clarksburg. "But we are starting to see more and more of them. There are a lot of them on the interstates. I really discourage them because when you're driving down the road at 70 mph -- and most people are probably going 80 -- and you start looking for little names on a memorial, your hand is going to go in the direction of your eyes. We'll encourage them to use our signs."

The new rules will still allow people to put up their own memorials, which can't be bigger than 4-feet-by-4-feet, but officials hope most families will opt for the state markers.

"The division had received complaints from citizens about these homemade memorials, and some citizens do see them as a distraction," said Karen Zamow, a spokeswoman with the Department of Transportation. "Some of these homemade memorials interfere with maintenance operations. Some are just placed in inconvenient places."

Maintenance crews have trouble mowing around them and sometimes damage them in the process. In addition, signs and placards can blow away or fall down and cause an accident. And some are just plain ugly.

Roadside shrines mimic the public grieving that gained momentum in the 1990s after such high-profile tragedies as the Columbine shootings, the Oklahoma City bombing and the death of Princess Diana generated huge, spontaneous memorials.

Any number of Web sites, such as www.highway memories.org, now chronicle memorials nationwide and invite loved ones to post photos of their shrines.

But no federal laws govern them, even though many are placed on federal roadways, such as Interstate 79 in West Virginia.

Each state has different rules.

Pennsylvania, for example, officially prohibits memorials but won't bother a family over one unless it's a hazard of some sort.

Some states, such as Texas and Florida, ban memorials but issue their own markers for a fee.

The Mountain State's proposed signs were inspired by one that a West Virginia lawmaker saw in North Carolina.

Rep. Carol Miller, R-Huntington, was on her way back from the beach last summer when she saw a tasteful, circular bronze memorial on the side of the road that included a simple suggestion: "Please drive safely." Prior to her trip, she'd received an e-mail from someone complaining about West Virginia's homemade markers.

"I thought, 'What a wonderful idea,' " she said. "I worked with DOH on a way to make them available. It was just to give families an alternative. Some people have a very strong tie to the last place where their loved one was. It was to be a nice complement to what the state already offers."

Her friend, Mr. Noe, thinks so. In May 2007, a driver under the influence of drugs crossed the center line of U.S. Route 52 in Mingo County and struck a car driven by his mother, Alkie Arlene Noe, 54. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr. Noe and his father were going to put up their own memorial until they saw a TV report about the state marker proposal and decided to wait until the program starts.

"It's the last point that my mother was alive," Mr. Noe said. "It's a moment of remembrance. My mother was the type who was involved in the community. So for us, it kind of carries on her message not only to her family but to the community."

He said the state signs, which ask motorists to drive safely, will also be a public service.

"It's a reminder: You never know what's going to happen."