Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

World Day of Remembrance

A crowd of people, many of whom are wearing yellow scarves or flourescent yellow vests, stand crowded around the steps of the Massachusetts State House in Boston. A woman with curly brown hair and a black jacket stands at the top of the steps and reads from something she is holding. Directly in front of the camera is the back of someone wearing a down coat and a yellow safety vest and holding a yellow bike helmet behind their back.

World Day of Remembrance will kick off on Sunday, November 15, 2020, and the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition will be observing the day through the end of the month. 

World Day of Remembrance is an annual international event during which we gather as a community to reflect upon those we've lost and commit ourselves to improving our roads.

In other years, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition has hosted a vigil at the MA State House to remember loved ones and to recognize the hundreds of people killed in traffic crashes across the state each year. For safety and public health reasons, we are not hosting any gatherings or events this year, but this doesn't make this day of remembrance any less important. With catastrophic numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths across the country and the world, we sought a message that would honor victims of both traffic violence and this deadly pandemic. 

Throughout the pandemic, traffic crashes have continued to occur at high rates, putting strain on hospitals already struggling with the burden of COVID-19. With fewer cars on the road as people remain at home, there are more opportunities for speeding, and as a result, deadly crashes. It is important that we all do our part to ease the burden on Emergency Rooms by preventing traffic crashes and injuries.

We are encouraging remembrance on Sunday, November 15th by lighting a candle in your home to honor loved ones lost or impacted. If you look to one of the following structures on the night of the 15th, you will see it lit up in yellow in remembrance; Zakim Bridge, Longfellow Bridge, Burns Bridge, Fore River Bridge, and Boston City Hall. 

Have you been impacted by traffic violence? View our resources, and hear other’s stories and consider sharing your own. 

Check out photos from the 2019 World Day of Remembrance here. Press coverage can be found below. 

Press coverage of 2019 World Day of Remembrance:

Learn more:

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