Families who have lost loved ones to road accidents gathered at Alice Birney Field on Saturday to remember the lives lost.

258 pairs of shoes were placed, each pair representing a person who died in a traffic accident while walking or cycling.

The names and photos of those lost were also displayed for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Event organizers say this is not just a day to honor those who died, but to push local leaders to protect those who are still with us.

“Each year in the US, more than 40,000 people are killed in traffic accidents. I can speak firsthand because my husband died in an accident trying to ride his bike to the movies. This day is hard and one that I look forward to every year because it is a day where you are in a supportive community with people who understand what you are going through. They want to make change. It’s a day we can talk about our people because we can’t talk about our people Every day is a day we can do something about their death, no one in our group or someone who lost everything in an accident traffic or survived an accident does not want to be in vain. we’re trying to drive change and end this crisis because we know traffic deaths are preventable,” said Laura Keenan, co-founder of Families for Safe Streets.

Families for Safe Streets San Diego is calling on the City of San Diego to implement three specific, cost-effective solutions that will save lives: 1) Improve dangerous roads, including the “Fatal 15”; 2) Reducing speed limits in school zones by implementing AB43; 3) Increase safety on the 6 critical corridors – San Diego’s most dangerous pedestrian corridors that are along routes to school.