LONGMONT, Colo. — On Sunday, the city of Longmont honored the lives of those who have died in traffic crashes.
The World Day of Remembrance event came in the city's first year participating in Vision Zero, an initiative aiming to prevent all traffic deaths.
Vision Zero began in 1997 in Sweden and has since been adopted in multiple countries. In the United States, New York adopted the mission in 2014. Since then, other cities have joined, including Longmont, which implemented it this year.
"It’s really important to shed light on the fact that this is a preventable public health crisis that is going on on our roads. We do not need to be experiencing as many fatalities and serious injury crashes as we are," said Cammie Piller Edson, Vision Zero Coordinator with the city of Longmont.
In August, Longmont was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the federal government to fund Vision Zero efforts. The grant, Safe Streets and Roads For All, will allow Longmont to develop a Vision Zero equitable action plan, intersection safety improvement study and new technology for improvements.
An ordinance will also be heard at the next city council meeting that would add red light and safe speed cameras throughout the city, if approved.
Piller Edson said alongside the city's advancements, the most effective way to reduce fatalities and serious injuries is for drivers to reduce their speed.
"[Speed] is really kind of a core component for communities to really take a look at and take early action on as far as trying to move that needle to try to and reduce fatalities and injuries," Piller Edson said.
Sunday's event also brought together those impacted by traffic crashes, giving them a safe space to share their experiences with others.
"Maybe through my story, we can start to create change," said Olivia Muñiz, who attended the event.
Muñiz was driving on her birthday in 2021, when she heard a bad crash.
"It was in Westminster. There were two young people street racing. They were going 100 mph in a 40 mph road," Muñiz said.
The street racers ended up crashing into a young woman, who died as a result of her injuries. Muniz attempted CPR on the victim.
"It impacted not only her and her family, but it ended up really impacting me," Muñiz said.
Muñiz decided to participate in the World Remembrance Day event to share a message with young people about the risks of driving recklessly, and in her case, the risk of street racing and modifying cars to do so.
"I felt like it was the right time for me personally," Muñiz said. "After a lot of healing, I felt like there could be a glimmer of positivity of change that we could do from such a difficult and just tragic story."
So far this year, five people have died on Longmont roads. In the past seven years, 65 people have died, while another 659 have been seriously injured.