Sunday will mark the United Nations’ annual World Day of Remembrance (WDOR) for Road Traffic Victims. In a week-long display inside Union Station, DC Families for Safe Streets is honoring anyone impacted by traffic violence.
The Remembrance Wall in the soaring main hall of Union Station includes two chalk boards inscribed with victims’ names.
Travelers pause to read the remembrances, or view video in which family members who lost loved ones tell their stories, and victims of severe injuries recount their harrowing recoveries.
Sponsors of World Day of Remembrance say that about 1.35 million people are killed each year because of traffic crashes. In the D.C. area, approximately 314 were killed in 2020 in traffic incidents.
The Union Station display is not the only area commemoration for WDOR.
Virginia Families for Safe Streets plans a virtual remembrance on Sunday at 5 p.m..
There will be a gathering at Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Wheaton, Md, on Sunday at 4:30 p.m..
And the national Families for Safe Streets organization is holding a virtual candle lighting ceremony for its members on Sunday at 8 p.m..
(EDITOR’S NOTE Nov. 22, 2021 2:30 p.m.: An earlier version of this story said the wall honored pedestrians and bicyclists. This post has been updated to reflect that the display honored anyone impacted by traffic violence.)
