The World Day of Remembrance is commemorated on the third Sunday of November

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Approximately 40,000 people are killed in traffic crashes each year in the US. 

 

On World Day of Remembrance, we remember every life that’s been lost on our streets. Our neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers, taken too soon by preventable crashes. The work we do on this day and the commitments we make are not easy, flashy, or fun, and attending can be painful, but it is some of the most meaningful work that we do. 

 

Traffic violence is pervasive in Jersey City and around the world. As of November 16, 2025, there have been 501 deaths so far in New Jersey, and 4 in Jersey City, each one leaving incalculable impacts on our communities.

 

On World Day of Remembrance, we re-affirm our commitment to making sure nobody else is unnecessarily killed on our streets. We deliberately use the term “crash,” not “accident.” “Accident” implies that the outcome was unpredictable, and that there was nothing we can do to prevent them. But crashes are predictable, and therefore preventable. 

 

Each crash that takes a life is a result of a series of choices about what to prioritize in our cities. Choices about safety and convenience; about the value of human life. Oftentimes, they’re choices that were made long before our time as advocates or elected officials. It is our responsibility, as advocates, as a community, as leaders, to make new choices that prioritize the safety of our neighbors. 

 

We need to stay focused on the goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries, and remember that compromises and hard choices need to be made. Many of the issues we face today are too large or too challenging to tackle at a local level, but traffic safety is not. Choices can be made at the state, county, and local level that will reduce crashes and save lives. It is perhaps the most easy choice for elected officials to make today. 

 

The best way to honor those we’ve lost is to ensure that it never happens again.

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Bike JC maintains a number of ghost bikes and ghost shoes around Jersey City which serve as memorials to people who have been hit and killed by cars in our community. Every year on World Day of Remembrance, Bike JC gathers the community for a ceremony with remarks from advocates and families of victims of traffic violence, followed by a solemn, slow-paced memorial bike ride to honor those we've lost. The ride visits several sites of tragedy across the city, where we maintain the existing ghost bike memorials and replace them where they have gone missing.

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