Families who have lost loved ones to traffic accidents gathered at Alice Birney Field Saturday to remember the lives lost.
Two hundred and fifty-eight pairs of shoes were laid out, each pair representing one person who was killed in a traffic accident while they were walking or biking.
Names and photos of those lost also were displayed for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Organizers of the event say this is not just a day to honor those who died -- but to push local leaders to protect those still with us.
"Every year in the US, there's over 40,000 people killed in traffic crashes. I can speak firsthand because my husband was killed in a crash trying to bike to the movies. This day is hard, and a day I look forward to every year because it's a day where you're in a supportive community with people who understand what you're going through," said Laura Keenan, Co-Founder of Families for Safe Streets. "They are wanting to make change. It's a day we get to talk about our people because we don't get to talk about our people every day. And it's a day where we can actually do something about their deaths. We don't, nobody in our group or anybody who has lost all going in a traffic crash or survived a crash wants it to be in vain. We're trying to drive change and end this crisis because we know traffic deaths are preventable."
Families for Safe Streets San Diego calls for the City of San Diego to implement three specific cost-effective solutions that will save lives:
- Improve dangerous roads, including the “Fatal 15”
- Reduce speed limits in school zones by implementing AB43
- Increase safety on the 6 Critical Corridors - the most dangerous pedestrian corridors in San Diego, which are all along routes to school.
