On Sunday, November 15, 2026, we stand in solidarity with communities across the U.S. for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims—a time to remember those killed and injured in crashes and to demand life-saving changes on our streets.
World Day of Remembrance
Join Families for Safe Streets chapters from across the National Capital region and organizers from Ride For Your Life for a gathering and rally near the Capitol. We encourage anyone affected by traffic violence—family members, survivors, caregivers, first responders, neighbors, community leaders—to gather in community to remember and honor our experiences with traffic violence.
Together, we will build a community memorial. We encourage participants to bring an extra photo print or object honoring their loved one and/or crash.
Ground Shift Studio will be on site with materials to help craft your mementos to add to the community memorial. This will be a space for sharing our stories, remembrance, and connections. All are welcome to participate regardless of when, where, or how a particular crash occurred. Participants are encouraged to collect their items at the end of the event. Items that are left behind will be respectfully recycled or donated.
- Date: Sunday, November 15, 2026
- Time: Gather at 2:00pm / Speakers at 3pm
- Location: Union Square (on 3rd St NW, in between Madison Dr NW and Jefferson Dr SW, near the Capitol Reflecting Pool)
- Getting there: The closest Metrorail stop is Federal Center SW (Orange, Blue and Silver lines), about a 10-minute walk north on 3rd St SW. Union Station (Red line) is roughly a 20 minute walk to Union Square.
Riding in? Ride For Your Life check-in begins at 1pm at John Marshall Park and sends participants off to the Capitol at 2pm. Register at https://rideforyourlife.org/dc/. Ride For Your Life shares its proceeds with local advocacy groups, including DC Families for Safe Streets.
Invest in Safety, Not Speed
4,926 people have been injured or killed in a crash on District streets as of October 22, 2026. To make matters worse, traffic deaths in DC are rising. 35 people have been killed on DC streets this year, compared with 21 people at the same point in 2025. District government data accentuates the disproportionate harm caused by drivers of motor vehicles:
- 82.9% of fatalities among all road users (29 of 35) involved a motor vehicle in 2026 year-to-date.
- 95.4% of major injuries among all road users (250 of 262) involved a motor vehicle in 2026 year-to-date.
- 97.4% of minor injuries among all road users (4,510 of 4,629) involved a motor vehicle in 2026 year-to-date.
Every crash victim is someone’s child, parent, friend, or neighbor. Nearly 5,000 lives affected by crashes this year alone is unacceptable.
We know what saves lives: streets designed for safe speeds, lower speed limits, and proven technologies like speed safety cameras and anti-speeding technology to prevent vehicles from going over the speed limit. Now, it’s time for the next Mayor and Council to invest in these solutions.
Everyone deserves to travel safely and with dignity. Every family deserves a safe route to their daycare, library, recreation and senior centers. It’s time to invest in safety, not speed. We ask the next Mayor and her administration to make every unsignalized intersection next to a school an all-way stop before the 2027–2028 school year, and prioritize safety improvements near schools, libraries, recreation and senior centers so every location has clear, visible, daylighted crossings by January 2028. Fatal crashes come at an enormous cost—not just in lives lost, but in the time and resources required from first responders, medical examiners, engineers, and city crews. We shouldn’t wait for someone to die before making our streets safer. Invest in safety now—not in the aftermath of another tragedy.