City Hosts World Day of Remembrance Event

Published on November 19, 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Nov. 19, 2023) – City leaders, partners and community members gathered today to observe World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The event remembers all the victims of road traffic accidents and recognizes the global and local efforts to reduce road casualties.

“The loss of any life on Charlotte’s streets is a tragedy we must work together to prevent, and I mourn those who have lost loved ones or have been seriously injured in road crashes on our streets,” said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. “We have made progress in reducing traffic fatalities through Vision Zero policies and engineering improvements to our roads, but more work remains to eliminate these preventable deaths.”

At the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Freedom Division, attendees heard from speakers with Charlotte Department of Transportation, CMPD and Sustain Charlotte.

“Three hundred thirty-four lives have lost been due to traffic crashes in our city from 2019 to 2023,” said Detective Worthy.“ Each one of those numbers is not just a statistic, it represents a person whose family is devastated. To get that number to zero, we’ll need to not just know that goal but truly commit.”

“Ending traffic fatalities requires a comprehensive approach that includes education, personal responsibility, fair and consistent enforcement of traffic laws, and, most importantly, streets designed for safety,” said Sustain Charlotte’s  Eric Zaverl.

Even one traffic-related death is too many, which is why the City of Charlotte is committed to establishing safe streets in our community. The city is a proud participant in Vision Zero, a global action plan designed to reduce crashes and eliminate traffic-related deaths and severe injuries by 2030.

Find more information about Vision Zero online and take the pledge to travel safely.