What You Can Do for This Year’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

As we plan for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) on Sunday, November 17, we focus on an important truth: Traffic Deaths and Serious Injuries are Preventable. This theme for WDoR in the U.S. underscores the often-overlooked reality that we have the tools and know-how to address the public health crisis of 40,000+ traffic deaths each year. Now we need the public and political will to make the changes to advance Vision Zero: safe mobility for all.

We are at a pivotal moment, with growing demand for safe streets for all in the U.S. Communities across the country are proving that change is possible. Hoboken, New Jersey, stands as a beacon of Vision Zero progress, achieving seven consecutive years without a traffic death. Thanks to exemplary political leadership, strong advocacy and committed city staff, Hoboken is making holistic, systemic change across the city, including redesigning roads to be Complete Streets, reducing speed limits and adding traffic calming measures, such as daylighting intersections.

Other examples of progress include the following:

• Austin, TX reduced fatal and serious injury crashes by 22% at 22 intersections prioritized for Vision Zero safety improvements specifically engineering countermeasures. This compares to a 1% increase in such serious crashes at other signalized intersections in the city.
• Fremont, CA reduced fatalities by 45% between 2015 to 2020 after launching Vision Zero and focusing on upgrading crosswalks, slowing speeds and narrowing travel lanes on high-speed arterials, amongst other changes.
• Philadelphia, PA saw 50% fewer traffic deaths, 36% fewer crashes and a 90% reduction in excessive speeding in the first seven months of speed safety cameras being added on the high-injury Roosevelt Boulevard.

These examples show what is possible when we implement proven safety countermeasures and address unsafe street conditions. Now, we need to speed up implementation of and scale up these improvements to be community-wide.

Remembering & Taking Action

WDoR is a chance to remember and honor those killed and injured in traffic crashes – far too many loved ones lost. And, WDoR is an opportunity to take action, to push for the safe future we all deserve. We hope you’ll join us for this year’s WDoR. Here are ways to get involved:

Host a WDoR event in your community: Whether you’re an individual advocate, member of an organization or a public agency representative, you can help organize a WDoR action in your community.

• Start by signing up as an organizer.
• Join the September 11 national organizers’ call. This is a chance to learn from peers and get support for your advocacy, messaging and event organizing. Sign up here.

Other ways to support and promote WDoR:

• Sign up for updates leading up to this year’s event.
• Reach out to your City Council and ask them to pass a WDoR Resolution or Proclamation (template is here).
• Reach out to the media: Write letters to the editor or op-eds for local newspapers, or reach out to local media outlets to cover WDoR events and highlight the urgent need for traffic safety reforms (templates are here).
• Share your support on social media using the hashtags – #WDoR2024 & #TrafficViolenceIsPreventable. Use our media gallery with promotional materials.
• For those who’ve lost loved ones in traffic crashes, consider adding your story to Families for Safe Streets’ Community Story map, an interactive platform that connects and empowers communities by sharing personal stories of people impacted by traffic violence, advocating for safer streets, and fostering collaboration.

We hope you’ll join us for WDoR. We know what works to prevent traffic deaths and severe injuries. This is our chance to make change a reality.