South Dakota THINK Signs
A life lost in a motor vehicle crash is never forgotten. Today, these lives serve as a reminder to drive safely and arrive alive.
Since 1979, county highway departments across South Dakota have installed Fatal Accident Markers, or THINK signs, at locations where fatal accidents have occurred. The program originated as an effort to make motorists aware of how dangerous it is to drink and drive; nearly half of all markers are there because of alcohol involvement. Today, these memorials also remember those lost due to not wearing seat belts, distracted driving and speeding.
Sign Removal
Signs will be removed under three circumstances:
- If a family requests the removal of a sign, it will be expeditiously removed.
- If a sign is no longer in satisfactory condition due to wear
- When a section of highway is reconstructed to new standards, all markers that involve the old roadway shall be taken down regardless of condition.
Removed markers will not be replaced unless requested by a family member.
Sign Design
Permission cannot be granted for others to use this sign or the same design. The message and layout were developed by an insurance company, State Automobile and Casualty Underwriters, Inc. of Des Moines, IA, and used by them to mark fatal accident locations for many years. South Dakota obtained written approval from the company to use their marker on streets and highways in the state, but only on the condition that we do not treat the design as our own. Accordingly, we are not in a position to approve of the THINK sign being duplicated and used on roads outside of the state.
