Every year, communities across the world come together for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) to remember those killed and seriously injured in traffic crashes and to call for urgent action to address the preventable crisis of traffic violence. This year’s WDoR takes place on Sunday, November 16, 2025. We invite your community to join with dozens of communities across the United States will organize to press leaders to take measures to reduce the record numbers of traffic deaths and severe injuries.
We invite you to sign up here to learn more about WDoR planning support, including monthly national organizing calls starting August 13th, and a robust toolkit to boost your local work.
San Diego, CA. Laura Keenan, with her 4-year-old son leaning against her leg as she spoke, has led organizing efforts for World Day of Remembrance in San Diego. Photo credit: Adrian Childress.
As roadway deaths remain at crisis levels, with 40,990 lives lost in U.S. traffic crashes in 2023 and more than 2.7 million people sent to emergency rooms, WDoR offers a powerful chance to raise public awareness and demand real solutions. The U.S. continues to have the highest rate of traffic deaths among 27 high-income countries, underscoring the urgent need for systemic change and a reminder that safer streets are possible.
Between 2013 and 2022, U.S. traffic-related death rates increased a relative 50.0% for pedestrians and 22.5% overall, compared with those in 27 other high-income countries, where they declined a median of 24.7%. Source.
Advocates from the Washington Area Bicycle Coalition, Families for Safe Streets DC, and more gather in Washington DC for the Ride for your life, 2024. Photo Credit: Brian Rimm
In 2024, more than 60 communities across the country organized WDoR events to spotlight the devastating toll of traffic violence and to push for life-saving changes. Check out our WDoR 2024 recap. Many of these actions centered around bold, upstream solutions to make streets safer by design. These include the following:
- In Jacksonville, FL, advocates urged the city to adopt a Vision Zero Action Plan and implement projects like protected bike lanes, roundabouts, and lower residential speed limits through a “20 is Plenty” campaign.
- In Indianapolis, IN, organizers called on city leaders to allocate $8 million toward quick-build infrastructure such as corner bulb-outs, improved crosswalks, and traffic calming.
- In Knoxville, TN, participants advocated for pedestrian refuge islands, on-street bike lanes, and a road diet funded by the city’s Safe Streets for All grant.
- In Albany, NY, community members pushed for traffic calming on a dangerous corridor and called for a countywide 4-foot passing law to protect vulnerable road users.
- In Philadelphia, PA, City Councilmembers joined families in calling for road diets, speed humps, and streamlined implementation of safety improvements near schools and family-centered spaces.
San Francisco, CA. Photo credit: Walk San Francisco.
Advocates in Salt Lake City hosted a remembrance event featuring a walk to a recent crash site, a candlelight vigil, and a sidewalk chalk memorial. Photo credit: Sweet Streets
Let's build on that momentum in 2025
Planning begins with the first national organizing call on Tuesday, August 13, hosted in partnership with It Could Be Me, Families for Safe Streets, and the Road to Zero Coalition. Sign up for the call to connect with other organizers, share ideas, and access tools to support your event. Whether you're new to this work or continuing past efforts, we invite you to join the thousands of people uniting across the country – and far more worldwide – to call for an end to traffic violence and to lift up proven safety solutions.
Please join us to Remember, Support and ACT on November 16th – and every day going forward until we achieve Vision Zero.
To stay in the loop with planning resources, advocacy tips, and national coordination updates, sign up here to stay connected as we move toward November.
Whether you're planning a memorial, a march, a press event, or a moment of reflection: your voice matters to help make safety a guarantee, not a gamble.