Every 14 minutes someone is killed on a U.S. road.

Annually, roughly 1.35 million people die from traffic crashes around the world. As these staggering numbers have grown over the past 2 years, we invite you to join us to remember the lives that have been lost, support those who are affected by these crashes, and act so that these preventable crashes can be eliminated. 

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) began 26 years ago and according to their website, “is a high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities – millions added each year to countless millions already suffering: a truly tremendous cumulative toll.”

Globally and locally, this day helps local advocates and communities reflect and highlight the work that still needs to be done. The enormous scale that this event is trying to build shows the vast level of concern and urgent need to “stop the carnage” and build better and safer streets. 

REMEMBER: Traffic Crashes Locally

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are no stranger to traffic crashes. The City is home to some of the most dangerous intersections and streets in the county and state that have not been re-designed for safety improvements in years. PennDOT also has a webpage dedicated to crash facts and statistics that call out the need for improvements to their roadways. For example while the, “total reported crashes in 2020 decreased 16.6% compared to 2019; fatalities increased by 6.6%.”

However, only looking at statistics without internalizing that each number is also a life, and each life impacts so many other lives would be shortsighted. This is why It is important that we set aside this annual day to call on ourselves, local government, and the community at large to pay attention to this public health crisis – that dangerously designed roadways have impacts far outside the scope of the street.

SUPPORT: Show up for each other

This year, on Sunday, November 21, from 11am until 2pm, BikePGH will join the global movement and will host a demonstration of items that commemorate and honor those who have been victims of traffic crashes on this annual World Day of Remembrance. We will gather at 12pm, in Oakland at the corner of Forbes Ave and S. Bellefield Ave, for a moment of silence and invite you to join us in-person, at home, on your bike, on your sidewalk, in your garden, on your hike, in your car, or wherever you may be, to pause and take a moment to remember. 

Demonstration for World Day of Remembrance

Date: Sunday, November 21, 2021
Time: 11am-2pm
Moment of Silence: 12pm
Location: Oakland, Corner of Forbes Ave and S. Bellefield Ave
How to Participate: Stop by the demonstration any time between 11am-2pm to see the display of objects that we have gathered to represent the lives that have been lost. We will have a moment of silence at 12pm and we invite you to gather with us for this in-person or wherever you may be. 
Facebook Event Link

ACT: Get involved to make your streets safer and less deadly

Get involved locally. Civic engagement is key to changing the way that money is spent, projects get prioritized, and voices are heard. BikePGH helps over 25 local bike and pedestrian neighborhood groups work on making their streets safer for people who are biking and walking. These groups learn how to organize and advocate for their communities. 

Learn about policies and laws that can improve roadways. Well designed streets encourage safer driving behavior. Unfortunately, there are a lot of policies out there that dictate what engineers, planners and local government agencies can legally design for a street. Learning more about advantageous policies that give flexibility and tools to the designers, engineers, planners, and government to fund projects can help give more control to those who want to improve and update outdated policies and design guidelines. Advocating and encouraging things like Complete Street Policies and Vision Zero Policies in your area is a place to get started. 

Join the movement! Starting local and getting involved are two great places to get started. Reaching out to organizations like BikePGH and getting involved with our work is another way to get involved. We’ll be happy to put you in touch with other organizations who are doing similar work in the City and of the greater Pittsburgh area.