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Go Safely for people. Drive like a loved one is waiting for you to come home.

November 16 is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Logotipo del Día Mundial en Recuerdo de las Víctimas de Siniestros Viales en EEUU.

Each year, thousands of people in California are killed in traffic crashes. In 2023 alone, 4,142 people were killed on California roads, an average of nearly 12 people every day. That is 4,142 empty chairs with a void that can never be filled at the dining room table or holiday family gathering.

Held on the 3rd Sunday of November each year, World Day of Remembrance (WDoR) is a global event to remember the millions who have been killed and seriously injured on roads worldwide and acknowledge the pain endured by the victims, their families and communities.

The Empty Chair Display

To honor these lives and raise public awareness of the growing traffic safety crisis, we encourage you to join us for a moving installation and remembrance event of over 700 empty chairs in downtown Los Angeles. Titled “711 Empty Chairs,” each chair will represent a person killed on Los Angeles County roads last year.

Families of victims are invited to share photos, mementos, or write their loved one’s name on a remembrance card and place it on one of the chairs.

Sunday, November 16, 2025

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Caltrans District 7 Public Plaza, 100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States (map)

Help us honor your loved one’s memory

Share Your Story

The Impact

4,214 People killed in traffic crashes on California roads in 2022 — an average of nearly 12 people killed every day.

818 people were killed in Los Angeles County traffic crashes in 2022 — about two every day.

28,781 Speed-related crashes*

390 People killed in speed-related crashes *

39% Percent of all fatal and injury crashes where speed was a factor*

28,383 Number of injuries to others caused by speed-related crashes*

* In California From October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023

Victim Stories

LIAM MIKAEL KOWAL

Crash Date: Sept. 3, 2016

Age: 1

Crash Location: 133^rd Street and Hawthorne Boulevard, City of Hawthorne

About Liam:

Born on May 25, 2015 to Mishel Eder and Marcus Kowal, a mixed martial arts fighter, Liam is remembered as social and strong-willed toddler who loved being around people. Liam enjoyed spending time in the water, whether it was for bath time, in the pool or a shopping center fountain, wrestling with his dad and playing peek-a-boo with his mom. “I refuse to allow your passing to just be another statistic. You will not have been so violently torn from us in vain. I will spend the rest of my life making sure that other lives will continue, because of you,” Marcus Kowal said on his website. Kowal’s family started Liam’s Life Foundation as a way to raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Crash Details:

On Sept. 3, 2016, a drunk driver hit Liam’s 15-year-old aunt and the stroller Liam was riding in at a crosswalk in the city of Hawthorne and kept driving. Liam later died as a result of his injuries.

The 72-year-old driver pleaded guilty Aug. 10, 2017 to one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to six years in state prison.

JAMARI JULIAN MOORE

Crash Date: Aug. 17, 2017

Age: 15

Crash Location: El Centro Road north of Moscatel Avenue, City of Sacramento

About Jamari:

Jamari is remembered for his dedication to his family and love of basketball. Jamari attended Inderkum High School, setting goals to join the school’s basketball team and one day become a professional basketball player. “This (hit-and-run driver) has changed our lives forever,” said Niesha Harris, Jamari’s mother. “To leave my son out here, a young man who had a promising future, on the road, it’s just not right.”

Crash Details:

On Aug. 17, 2017, Jamari was riding his bicycle on El Centro Road in the North Natomas area of Sacramento when he was struck and killed by a car traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the vehicle, who was involved in a carjacking before Jamari was killed, was arrested and charged with felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter.

BENJAMIN MONTALVO

Crash Date: June 11, 2020

Age: 21

Crash Location: Rimpau Avenue, City of Corona

About Benjamin:

The youngest of four boys, Benjamin Montalvo was kind, easy-going, and always stood up for the kid who was struggling or being bullied. He was called the “Dr. Phil” of his high school. Benjamin was also a gifted athlete, playing football, soccer and baseball. His other big passion was bike riding. Affectionately known as “Bean” and “Bean Dip,” Benjamin’s older brothers convinced him when he was little that his name was really Bean and his middle name was Dip. The name stuck.

Benjamin’s parents, Eddie and Kellie Montalvo, shared his tragic story as part of a public awareness campaign for April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The public service announcements (PSAs) were filmed at the Montalvo family home and show the raw emotion of a family that has personally experienced the tragic consequences of distracted driving.

Crash Details:

On June 11, 2020, Benjamin was struck and killed riding his bike by a distracted, impaired driver.

The driver, Neomi Renee Velado, fled the scene of the crash, and replaced her smashed windshield before going to work. Velado had been in four prior at-fault crashes, three when she was distracted by her phone, in the first four years she had her license.

Velado pled guilty July 13, 2023 for two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run causing injury or death. She was sentenced to nine years in state prison.

“This destroyed us in so many ways,” Benjamin’s mother, Kellie Montalvo, said. “No parent should bury a child. No brother should carry a casket and no friend should have to see their friend die all because of a phone in someone’s hand.”

VALENTINA DALESSANDRO

Crash Date: December 7, 2013

Age: 16

Crash Location: Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA at the intersection of Avalon and Anaheim.

About Valentina:

My beautiful baby girl was 16 when she passed away. She was a junior at Torrance High School. She was a woman and a little girl at the same time, loving her friends, movies, bon fires, attending basketball games at the school, parties, coloring the Little Mermaid, etc. She had dreams of becoming a fashion designer and travel the world. She left behind her older brother Luca who wishes he could have grown old with her. My pretty girl was a teen who grew and grew in a matter of seconds. As parents we are not supposed to outlive our children from something that can be completely prevented.

Crash Details:

On December 7, 2013 at about 1 a.m., a 17 Year old male under the influence of alcohol was driving 3, 16 year-old girls home. Inside the car in the back was Valentina sleeping without a seat belt. The driver saw an ex co-worker and both challenged each other to a “Street Race.” They were speeding, traveling at over 80 mph. As he crossed a red light he crashed against an SUV and then crashed against a fence, leaving Valentina partially ejected from the window. Valentina was pronounced dead at the scene as paramedics could not save her life.

Traffic Safety Victim Support & Other Resources

There is help for survivors of traffic crashes and loved ones who have had someone close to them killed in a crash. Whether you need to talk to others who have also been personally impacted, resources, support, or to take action to improve traffic safety, there are many organizations who can provide a helping hand.