“We are gathering to remember and honor those who have been killed or severely injured by aggressive or reckless driving and dangerous conditions on our streets, and we will stand together to remind New Yorkers that we can create a safer city for everyone,” said Sofia Russo of Families for Safe Streets, whose 4-year-old daughter Ariel Russo was killed by a speeding driver who crashed on a Manhattan sidewalk.

 

On a single day this week, one man was struck and killed by a driver who fled the scene, a bicyclist was killed by a truck driver on the Upper West Side, while nearby two pedestrians were seriously injured when a driver drove onto a sidewalk.

 

“Too many people have been needlessly killed and maimed on our streets, as we have been reminded in recent days. We are standing with New Yorkers who have suffered those losses to tell our city and the world that traffic violence is preventable,” said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “The World Day of Remembrance is an opportunity for all of us to renew our Vision Zero commitment to keep working to change the culture of reckless and careless driving, and to rebuild our streets so they’re safer for everyone who uses them.”

 

TransAlt will debut a large Vision Zero sculpture at the event and is inviting people to bring yellow ribbons to add to the sculpture, commemorating loved ones killed or injured in traffic. Participants have the opportunity to join one of several group rides and walks listed below to reach the gathering at City Hall. The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2005, is commemorated each year on the third Sunday of November, in locations around the world.