A BUNCH of flowers propped against a roadside tree or telegraph pole is an arresting sight. Every motorist's eye is drawn to the bright blooms and what they symbolise.

They can mean only one thing: a loved one lost their life here. It is a sobering thought as we hurtle to our next appointment.

The floral tribute has become a modern ceremony of mourning. It is a tradition evolved for our secular age and popularised by the floral carpet laid after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The practice has become so widespread that the authorities are now considering restricting it. A report on ways to reduce North Yorkshire's road accident toll suggests that a time limit is imposed on roadside memorials.

The county council has set itself some laudably tough road safety targets. No one would criticise it for aiming to reduce child fatalities by 60 per cent. And there are many detailed suggestions within the report which could work.

A time limit on floral tributes is not one of them, however. We are not aware of any evidence that they have caused accidents, as the report implies.

Motorists will certainly look at them, just as they look at police accident appeal signs and all other roadside distractions. But if anything, the flowers will act as a reminder of drivers' mortality and prompt them to slow down and drive with more care, for a short while at least.

Moreover, the proposal is unworkable. It would be a nonsense to expect busy traffic police officers to file reports on the first appearance of a spray of freesias.

This would be an unnecessary and bureaucratic intrusion into the grief of the bereaved, and it should be resisted.

Updated: 11:32 Thursday, December 04, 2003