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MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2020

CONTACT: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk SF, jodie@walksf.org, 415-596-1580 (cell); Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk SF, marta@walksf.org, 617-833.7654 (cell)

Crash Victims to be Remembered at City Hall
A Memorial Made of Shoes to Represent the Nearly 200 People Killed Since 2014

San Francisco, Calif. – World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a global event honoring the millions of people hurt and killed in traffic crashes each year. San Francisco will hold its sixth annual World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims on Sunday, November 15, 2020, from 3:00-4:00PM at City Hall. 

World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims remembers and honors those who have been hurt and killed. It also demands an end to these devastating and preventable crashes. 187 people have been killed in traffic crashes on San Francisco’s streets since 2014. More than 3,000 people have been severely injured since 2014. 2014 is the year that San Francisco committed to Vision Zero and put an end to severe and fatal traffic crashes by 2024.

World Day of Remembrance is hosted by San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets and Walk San Francisco. The groups are calling on city leaders to take three specific actions to “Slow Our Streets” (learn more at walksf.org/slow-our-streets). Speed is the #1 cause of severe and fatal crashes in San Francisco. 

WHEN & WHERE: Sunday, November 15, 2020 3:00-4:00 PM, San Francisco City Hall

ACTIVITIES & VISUALS:

  • 187 pairs of shoes and placards with the names of the 187 people who have been killed in traffic crashes since 2014.
  • Flowers and mementos placed at placards, as well as an area to honor those who have survived crashes.
  • Loved ones of traffic crash victims holding large memorial photos.
  • Signs: “Slow Our Streets” “Speed Kills”.
  • AT DUSK: City Hall and Coit Tower lit up in yellow lights.

CONFIRMED TO ATTEND:

  • Assemblymember David Chiu
  • Alex Wong, Senior District Rep for State Senator Scott Wiener
  • Norman Yee, President, San Francisco Board of Supervisors and survivor of a traffic crash (District 7)
  • District Supervisor Gordon Mar (District 4)
  • Supervisor Dean Preston (District 5)
  • District Supervisor Rafael Mandelman (District 8)
  • Jeffrey Tumlin, Director of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
  • Tom Maguire, Director of Sustainable Streets, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 
  • Jeanine Nicholson, Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department 
  • Cheryl Brinkman, Board of Directors, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 
  • Amanda Eaken, Board of Directors, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 
  • Julie Mitchell, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS); whose son was killed in a crash
  • Steve Bingham, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS), crash survivor
  • Alvin Lester, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS), whose son was killed in a crash
  • Nancy Harrison, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS); crash survivor
  • John Alex Lowell, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS); crash survivor
  • Jenny Yu, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS); daughter of a crash survivor
  • Fennel Doyle, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS); crash survivor
  • Julie Nicholson, San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS); crash survivor
  • Additional members of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (FSS)
  • Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk San Francisco

SOCIAL MEDIA:

#WDoR2020 #WorldDayofRemembrance #SlowOurStreets #VisionZeroSF @walksf 

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World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a global event honoring the millions of people hurt and killed in traffic crashes each year. This is San Francisco’s sixth annual World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims. World Day of Remembrance is hosted by San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets and Walk San Francisco. Learn more at walksf.org/wdr2020. This year’s event is designed to be socially-distanced and have limited attendance due to COVID. 

Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates for streets that are safe for everyone who walks. On average, three people are hit each day while walking in San Francisco. Since our founding in 1998, Walk SF has been leading the way to make San Francisco a pedestrian-first city where people of every age and ability can walk safely. Learn more at walksf.org.

San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets is made up of survivors and families whose loved ones have been killed or injured in traffic crashes. Learn more at walksf.org/familiesforsafestreets.

Why We Must Slow Our Streets: Speed is the #1 cause of severe and fatal crashes in San Francisco. The faster a vehicle is going, the more likely its driver is to cause a traffic crash. If a person is hit by a vehicle traveling 20 MPH, they have a 90% chance of surviving. But at 40 MPH, this drops to just a 20% survival rate. Learn more at www.walksf.org/slow-our-streets.