Las Cruces City Council presented a Proclamation to Barbara Toth [at a recent meeting] for “Las Cruces Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.”
The 3rd Sunday of November is acknowledged internationally as a Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Violence on our roadways is rampant, killing 40,490 persons in the US in 2023, 407 of them in New Mexico. 29 of those lives were lost in Doña Ana County.
Deadly collisions are largely preventable, therefore, any more than zero fatalities is unacceptable.
Traffic Deaths and Serious Injuries are Preventable; NM Communities Organize for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Nov. 17th
The numbers reflect a genuine crisis: U.S. traffic crashes claimed 40,990 lives last year – almost equal to the number of gun-related deaths – and sent more than 2.7 million people to emergency rooms. America has the highest rate of traffic deaths among 29 high-income countries analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With 407 dead in 2023, New Mexico ranks disproportionately high within the overall epidemic of traffic violence across our country. Year after year, our state consistently appears at or near the top of listings of various categories of roadway deaths and serious injury.
The real tragedy is that these crashes are not accidents; they are almost all preventable. On Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, more than 70 communities across the country will commemorate those killed and injured by traffic violence and advocate for change on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
In Las Cruces, Vulnerable Road Users New Mexico will host a mid-afternoon Walk/Ride/Run with special guest NM State Representative, Angelica Rubio. There will also be a Candlelight Vigil at sunset.
“When Jim, my husband of 52 years, was nearly killed while riding his bicycle I began to devote myself to advocacy. Although the teen driver who hit Jim was speeding (and very likely distracted), and wasn’t even issued a citation,” said Barbara Toth. “I launched Vulnerable Road Users New Mexico as a vehicle for change in my own community and beyond.” Because of her experience as a long-time educator, a special focus of VRUnm is safe driving presentations to young drivers, as well as helping to elevate the tragedy of those left behind with life altering injuries.
New Mexico State Representative, Angelica Rubio, has dedicated much of her life as a public servant to making roadways safe for all who use them. “As a bike commuter and state legislator, I know firsthand how dangerous our infrastructure can be. Our roads prioritize cars over people, and this is directly contributing to the heartbreaking rise in pedestrian fatalities. Despite my efforts to pass policies that prioritize safety, it’s been a challenge because not all policymakers share this mission. We need more leaders in office who understand the lived experiences of those of us risking our lives just to get around. On this World Day of Remembrance, let’s honor those we’ve lost by pushing for real change—safer streets that protect all of us, not just drivers.”
Barbara joins a fast-growing number of advocates in the US demanding more use of proven safety measures, including redesigning streets, lowering speed limits, outfitting vehicles with life-saving technology, and more. A record number of communities are committing to Vision Zero – the goal of preventing traffic deaths and severe injuries – by using a Safe System approach in which we design and manage our systems – road infrastructure, vehicles, and related policies – to prioritize safety for all road users. Even the U.S. Department of Transportation has set its first-ever Vision Zero goal and released its first National Roadway Safety Plan.
In 2023 the US Department of Transportation launched the “Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety” at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The Center is one of five Tier-1 University Transportation Centers across the country. Together, these groups focus on research, education, technology, and workforce development.The extraordinarily high rate of pedestrian fatalities in New Mexico is one of the reasons UNM was selected.
“Our goal is to create a more balanced transportation system, one where all people have the option to safely walk, bike, take public transportation, and drive. We’ve developed our land uses and designed our roads so that people currently only have one choice for most trips: drive. Providing people with modal options will unlock myriad health, safety, economic, equity, and environmental benefits,” said Nick Ferenchak, the Center’s Director.
The state of New Mexico’s “Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan” as the primary framework for guiding decisions at all levels of the NMDOT. In June of this year, the state Department of Transportation introduced a new initiative, Target Zero, which will coordinate all of the DOT’s safety work and “sharpen its focus on safety in everything it does as part of a larger effort to save lives”.
The City of Albuquerque adopted a Vision Zero initiative in 2019. Currently it is the only municipality in New Mexico to have done so. Patrick Martin, Chair of Advocacy Committee from Bike ABQ, comments “Albuquerque’s Vision Zero program oversees a slew of transportation safety projects in our city, from installing and improving safer crosswalk infrastructure to road diets and bike lanes, which all work to make our roads safer for everyone who uses them. Together with our Complete Streets Ordinance, this program also guides the planning and design of routine projects to make sure we get the most safety bang for our buck in Albuquerque.”
In Las Cruces and Dona Ana County:
- Have been the recipients of BiPartisan Infrastructure and other funds which advocates believe could be utilized to add new sidewalks, protected bikeways, and traffic calming measures; lower speed limits and redesigning roadways to deter dangerous speeds; Use lifesaving technologies, such as speed safety cameras and Intelligent Speed Assistance.
- Advocates are working diligently to educate community leaders about Vision Zero and to push for the city of Las Cruces to make an official commitment to becoming a Vision Zero city. “As part of its advocacy for pedestrians and bicyclists, Velo Cruces is asking the City of Las Cruces, the Township of Mesilla and the County of Dona Ana to adopt a Vision Zero target of eliminating road user deaths by January 1st of 2035. We stand with VRUnm is calling attention to the public health epidemic of traffic violence and implore our elected officials to declare in one voice that this is no longer acceptable and that we must do better so that all of us in the greater Mesilla Valley can move safely around our communities.” (Donald Wilson, President of Velo Cruces)
- The local Safe Routes to School program works every day with activities to help students enjoy fresh air and exercise. 3rd graders at all 25 elementary schools in Las Cruces Public Schools district receive education in pedestrian and bicycle safety. Additionally, the group leads weekly walking programs at 20 of those schools and sponsors 4 bike groups for students of various ages.
- Vulnerable Road Users NM (VRUnm) presents a well-received program to student drivers including the impact of language such as using the term ‘crash’ vs. ‘accident.’. Participants say they found it very worthwhile to attend the presentation. “Real life stories showed how serious the topic is. It made me see ‘accidents’ from a different perspective.” and “I saw how one person can change a whole life, how one single day can change the whole future!”
Within recent months Barbara Toth has also found herself advocating on a national scale. “As I’ve become acquainted with people from all across our country, I’ve been both overwhelmed at the profound personal cost of this deadly trend and encouraged to see so many working together to put an end to it. Many communities are utilizing proven strategies which are making an enormous difference. Individuals and organizations, no longer willing to accept the situation, are working side by side to implement life-saving changes!”
Details about the Las Cruces World Day of Recognition Event
On Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 a mid-afternoon Walk/Ride/Run, with special guest NM State Representative, Angelica Rubio, will allow road users of various types to honor those who have died, while demonstrating the need for enhanced safety for all who use our streets and roads:
- Participants will gather at First Christian Church (1809 El Paseo) between 2:15 and 3:00 for a 3:15 start.
- At sunset, the 3-M Music Honor Society at Las Cruces High School will host a Candlelight Vigil. The Vigil will start at 4:45, at Las Cruces High School, near the Athletic Parking Lot off Boutz Road. While remembering all who have lost their lives in and around our community, there will be a special ceremony dedicated to Lucas Mitchell and Victoria McFarland, recent graduates of Las Cruces High, who were killed in a collision on July 4, 2024.
- As we gather to mourn those whose deaths could and should have been prevented, we will share with community members ways to honor them through specific actions. First and foremost, we will be insisting that City of Las Cruces officials take action and move forward with adopting Vision Zero and forming a multi-disciplinary Vision Zero Task Force.
Further information at (575) 636-5489 or Admin@VRUnm.org
