As Tempe marks yet another solemn weekend to honor those lost to traffic accidents, the city is setting up memorial displays at the sites of last year’s tragedies. These reminders coincide with the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, Nov. 16, as detailed in a report by Tempe’s official release. Commemorations are scheduled to take place from Nov. 14 through Nov. 17, memorializing the 19 lives that were abruptly cut short on Tempe’s streets in the wake of traffic collisions throughout 2024.
Tempe’s initiative to directly confront and attempt to reduce traffic-related fatalities has been ongoing since the adoption of its Vision Zero goal back in 2018. Their strategies include traffic calming measures, decreased speed limits, and extensive photo enforcement at critical intersections. According to the report by Tempe, these efforts have led to consecutive quarterly drops in total collisions for two years straight when comparing 2024 against the previous year.
Memorials for the 19 victims will be placed at intersections close to where each individual’s life was claimed, bringing tangible awareness to the community about the losses suffered. Places like University Drive and 52nd Street, Priest Drive and Broadway Road, and several others serve as hosts for these tributes. Each poignant display serves not only as a monument to the fallen but also as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in road safety…