Join us on November 16th for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in DC as we honor the 1.35 million people killed globally each year in preventable traffic crashes and work for change.
Unsafe speeds are a primary factor in about one-third of the 40,000+ traffic deaths in the U.S. each year. The good news is that we can prevent these tragedies: by lowering speed limits, redesigning dangerous roads, and applying proven technologies such as speed safety cameras and anti-speeding technology called Intelligent Speed Assistance.
We celebrate DC as the first jurisdiction in the United States to pass legislation adopting ISA. The STEER Act, empowers the DC Attorney General to pursue the most egregious and reckless drivers on the District’s streets, and enables the creation of the first program in the country to require anti-speeding technology for reckless drivers.
We also celebrate the Commonwealth of Virginia for passing a law on anti-speeding technology and support our neighbors in Maryland to do the same.
As District residents, visitors, and neighbors who have been personally impacted by traffic violence, we are cautiously optimistic that the STEER Act will address the most egregious and reckless drivers on our streets. We also know that the STEER Act alone cannot eliminate all traffic fatalities and injuries.
As of Friday, October 10, 2025, there have been 18 traffic fatalities to date, a nearly 60% decrease from this time last year with 43 fatalities. But a staggering 12 traffic fatalities (or two-thirds!) of this year’s traffic fatalities are pedestrians.
Recent research using the DC Trauma Registry also discovered there are far more traffic-related injuries recorded at our local hospitals than the total number of injuries captured by the DC Vision Zero program. The same study also noted that Black people accounted for more than 70% of motor-vehicle-related trauma cases, despite only accounting for 43% of the District’s population.
We know that one death or injury is too many because we intensely feel and experience the missing laughter around the house, an empty seat at Thanksgiving, and the quiet longing as we look at photos that remind us what life was like before the crash. More must be done—such as following through on commitments to implement safe street redesigns—to ensure everyone is safe.
How can you get involved?
NOTE: This section will be updated as we solidify our plans.
This year the DC chapter of Families for Safe Streets is honoring World Day of Remembrance by continuing to post crash sites at locations throughout the District. We will also gather as a community and walk in solidarity to the Lincoln Memorial, to join our friends and neighbors who participate in the Ride For Your Life.
Join us on World Day of Remembrance:
- Date: Sunday, November 16, 2025
- Time: Meet at 11am
- Start location: Outside of Foggy Bottom Metro (Blue/Orange/Silver) / George Washington University Hospital at Eye St NW and 23rd St NW
- End location: Lincoln Memorial
We acknowledge that the start location may be difficult for those who have a personal connection to the hospital. We encourage you to honor your feelings and needs. Should you want to join us, but not at the start, please check back soon for our walking route or feel free to meet us directly at the Lincoln Memorial by noon.
Want to dedicate more time? Email us [DCFamiliesForSafeStreets at gmail.com] if you are able to post crash signs either in your Ward or elsewhere in the District, or want to help with the walk from Foggy Bottom to the Lincoln Memorial.