Michael Doyle, executive director and founder of Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets hosts the 2025 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Arlington on Nov. 16.

Twenty-four chalked body outlines, each representing a fatality in a road traffic crash last year in Northern Virginia, greeted family members who lost a loved one to road violence, crash survivors, concerned citizens, and members of Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) as they walked into Gateway Park in Arlington on Nov. 16. The solemn procession set the tone for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event, held annually on the third Sunday of November.

“Each tragedy, each crash, each fatality, is a story of a family member who was lost, or, in other cases, serious injuries,” said Michael Doyle, executive director and founder of NoVA FSS. “All of these situations could be avoided and that’s what we’re trying to do today, is to raise awareness.”

Doyle opened the two-phase event by detailing the regional crisis, noting there were 133 serious injuries and 24 fatalities last year. He added that year-to-date, there have been 13 fatalities.

Doyle introduced the first speaker, “a brave lady who is a crash survivor, Helen Harris.”

Harris gave a powerful and deeply personal speech as a survivor of traffic violence. Harris recounted the tragic event seven years ago, when a truck made a left turn and struck her as she crossed the street with her four-month-old daughter in a stroller at the intersection of Fort Myer Drive and Langston Blvd — the very location of the remembrance event.

Harris suffered catastrophic injuries, including an above-the-knee amputation. Her infant daughter was uninjured because Harris pushed her toward safety as the truck bore down on her.

Harris described the immense physical and emotional challenges of adapting to life after her injury, but recognized her survival as a form of luck: “I am one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, there are those who did not make it through to share their stories themselves.” She urged the community to support data-driven solutions, highlighting the passage of SB 1416, which holds drivers more accountable for injuring vulnerable road users.

Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said the ceremony was a "symbolic funeral" for lives lost in situations that were, above all, "avoidable."

“Avoidable is the critical word that we need to work to avoid an accident. Avoidable accident is a kind of a contradiction in terms. Okay, I am a big believer that accidents are actually not accidents, as long as they are avoidable,” Karantonis said.