DC Families for Safe Streets join others at World Day of Remembrance event in front of the Wilson Building Image by Joe Flood licensed under Creative Commons.

As road deaths rise in the region and across the US, there’s a growing movement to make streets safer. One such group pushing for change is DC Families for Safe Streets, recently launched by two local road safety advocates who want to support people who have been traumatized by road violence.

In 2019 alone, there were 25 traffic fatalities in DC. That’s down 19% from last year, but if you pull back a bit, you see that from 2014 to 2018 fatalities have been on the rise. Almost half of the road deaths were people on foot.

A 20-year look at traffic fatalities in DC. Image by DC Metropolitan Police Department.

While media attention tends to focus on fatalities, injuries are a huge problem as well. There’s little attention on those who didn’t die in a crash, but nonetheless suffer chronic health problems and/or trauma as a result. Plus, road safety is an equity issue. About half of DC’s traffic fatalities happen on streets east of the Anacostia River, even though fewer residents there own cars than in other parts of the District.

Recently, we posed some questions to two founding members of DC Families for Safe Streets, Christy Kwan and Faith Hall. Here’s what they had to say about supporting people with trauma, creating community, and changing car culture.

1. How did you come to start DC Families for Safe Streets in the District?

Faith Hall: The creation of the DC chapter of Families for Safe Streets is the result of several contributing factors:

  1. Public awareness and receptivity. Traffic-related fatalities and injuries in the District and region seem to be getting more extensive news coverage in regional and local outlets (like GGWash). Several high profile crashes have captured the public’s attention, helping to reveal this public health epidemic that is hidden in plain sight.
  1. Policy foundations are in place. The District has a well-established policy framework to further safe streets. Sustainable DC (with an explicit focus on health, equity, and transportation among other important pillars) is a critical foundation upon which Vision Zero stands. This provides the basis for safe streets decision making and accountability. Several regional jurisdictions have adopted Vision Zero.
  1. Partnerships. Families for Safe Streets in NYC, the Vision Zero Network, WABA, and Alexandria FSS have all been supportive, encouraging, and open to sharing knowledge and perspectives. Families for Safe Streets in NYC also has a very helpful resource guide to help others establish a new chapter.
  1. Our volunteers. We have a 100% volunteer steering committee that has worked diligently over the past year to get the chapter up and running. The team’s energy, professionalism, and commitment to sharing their stories in order to support others and affect positive change is at the heart of what has made this work so far.

2. What area do you serve? Is it just DC or the region?

FH: Our advocacy has been DC-focused given the jurisdictional nature of our legal system, but we recognize that we all live regionally. We also have a sister chapter in Alexandria, Virginia.

Our peer support transcends political and geographic boundaries. Everyone is welcome to participate regardless of where a crash happened, when it happened, or how it happened. We are working to affect positive change, to support others, and save lives.

3. How does your local group intersect with the other Families for Safe Streets in other areas?

Christy Kwan: We are a part of a growing movement across North America and stay connected with broader efforts. Traffic violence is a national epidemic that kills 40,000 people and injures 3,000,000 a year. The founding Families for Safe Streets in NYC has launched a national initiative to demand that every US presidential candidate end the silence on traffic violence and put forward a plan for safe, livable, and vibrant communities. We encourage those in DC to learn more and demand a plan at www.EndTrafficViolence.org.

In addition, Families for Safe Streets in NYC has also been instrumental in providing assistance and guidance to people throughout the United States and in Canada on how to start their own local chapters.

DC Families or Safe Streets testifying before the DC Council. Image by Rachel Maisler used with permission.

4. On your page, it says your organization “provides peer support and is developing assistance resources for those affected by the trauma of traffic violence.” What does this mean day-to-day for the people who have experienced trauma who are coming to you?

CK : First and foremost, people can expect to know they are not alone. And I believe there’s a lot of power in that. We’re still forming a lot of our activities and developing more robust resources for people impacted by traffic violence. We want to create a chapter that is responsive to what the DC community wants, so we’re open to your ideas.

For other resources, it would be nice if we could build out a resource guide that goes over some basic details, such as understanding how crash investigations are conducted, how to find a lawyer, and the legal process afterwards. I have heard over and over again from so many people that they just didn’t know where to go to find a lawyer, especially when they are only starting to process a very traumatic event that has happened.

5. Why do you think this organization is so important right now?

CK: The creation of a DC Families for Safe Streets is important because nothing like it currently exists in DC. There are grief and trauma resources and support groups, but none are focused specifically on being impacted by traffic violence. And while there is a strong transportation advocacy community in DC, no single group is solely focused on organizing the family members and survivors of traffic violence of all transportation modes.

Traffic violence is unfortunately very common, and in the United States, we have been taught from an early age that traffic deaths and severe injuries are inevitable side effects of modern life. Most people call them “accidents,” but they are not. They are preventable crashes. And to get everyone to understand that… it requires a culture shift.

6. What are some of the organization’s short-term and long-term goals?

CK: Our short term goal is for others to learn about DC Families for Safe Streets and become active members and help determine what kinds of services we should create and offer. It would also be great, if in the short term, all 7 bills considered at the October hearing passed, as well as the newly introduced reckless driving accountability bill.

Long-term, we hope to build out a monthly calendar of support events for our members as well as determine future campaigns so we can advocate for policy or systems changes that would have the most impact on saving lives. We believe in a city where people can walk, roll, bike, scoot, and drive freely without risk of harm.