CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte city leaders are pushing to reduce the number of deaths on the Queen City's roads as the growing problem of traffic-related deaths gets worse nationwide.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police welcomed families from the lives lost on the roadways as part of the city’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims" on Sunday. Debbie Smith, the director of Charlotte's transportation department, said the objective of Sunday's event was to ensure those who died weren't lost in vain.
"We will make sure that they are not forgotten," Smith said. "Their legacies live on through us as we continue to work to make our streets safer."
CDOT says it's seeing a noticeable increase in lives lost to traffic violence. Since 2019, there have been 334 people killed on Charlotte roads.
"These annual events are especially important because traffic deaths are on the rise dramatically in the U.S., far outpacing other high-income nations," Smith said.
Organizations such as Sustain Charlotte are focused on enforcing policies and funding in order to keep the community safe. Eric Zaverl, the group's urban design specialist, said advocates are seeing progress with new policies.
"Last week, in fact, City Council approved increasing the fines to $100 for blocking transit, pedestrian and bike infrastructure," he said.
Smith said as Charlotte continues to grow, new policies and efforts to increase safety on the roads are paramount.
"We're one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation," Smith added. "And with that you bring people that maybe haven't grown up in this area, maybe these roads are new to them. So I can't emphasize enough driving without distractions and driving at a safe speed for the conditions."
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