Community Story Map Featured by ESRI, Global Mapping Software Leader
angie schmitt angie schmitt

Community Story Map Featured by ESRI, Global Mapping Software Leader

Families for Safe Streets’ work spotlighting the human cost of traffic violence is being held up as an example for other nonprofits by the global geospatial software leader ESRI.

Our Community Story Map, which features the stories of nearly 200 victims across the United States, was featured by ESRI as an example of the power of GIS software in creating policy change and solving social problems. We expect the recognition will expand awareness of our work and the heartbreak and devastation caused by inaction on traffic safety.

The map directs users to stories like that of Rashad Al-Hakim Jr, who was struck and killed at just 15-years old by a DUI driver as he crossed the street in front of his high school. Or that of Trevor Doom, a 26-year-old fire department captain, who was killed along with his fiancé, and three members of her family when they were hit by the driver of a semi-truck that had run a red light.

“The FSS Community Story Map has turned statistics into people, giving names to them and sharing their stories for all to access,” ESRI wrote in its description. “It provides an opportunity to unite a country around a cause and allows the grieving to attach photographs and stories to what were once faceless statistics.”

ESRI has over one million active users across 350,000 organizations across the world. If you’d like to add your story to the map, please visit this link.

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FSS-Led fight for anti-speeding tech Makes huge Gains
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS-Led fight for anti-speeding tech Makes huge Gains

The FSS-led fight to mandate that the most reckless drivers get anti-speeding tech called Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) in their vehicles is making huge progress — with bills introduced in over a half dozen states and the ones in Virginia and Washington State making significant progress. So called “super-speeders,” repeat offenders who consistently drive far above the speed limit, cause a disproportionate number of traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities each year. Families for Safe Streets members continue to pressure state legislatures to force these dangerous drivers to use anti-speeding technology on their vehicles, including with this petition.

FSS member Tammy Guido McGee wrote a powerful OpEd, sharing about her son Conner who was killed along with two classmates on their way home from a high school homecoming dance. One of the classmates lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree while driving over 70 mph, more than twice the speed limit. Jason Hicks also has this moving OpEd sharing about his daughter and, as a law enforcement officer with two decades of experience, the need for the enforcement community to have the tools it needs to prevent these senseless deaths. FSS members also testified in hearings in both houses in Virginia as well as in Washington State.

The Virginia General Assembly overwhelmingly passed HB 2096 and the bill has passed the Senate Transportation Committee. Read more about this effort at https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org/safe-vehicles.

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FSS ADVOCACY LEADS TO 25 MPH SPEED LIMITS across NYS
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS ADVOCACY LEADS TO 25 MPH SPEED LIMITS across NYS

Thanks to the efforts of FSS’ urging implementation of the NYS 25 MPH statewide speed limit bill, several municipalities in the capital district have lowered their own speed limit to 25 MPH. The critical 2022 legislation allowed certain local governments to reduce their own speed limits. The power granted by the statewide law is now being widely exercised across the state. The city of Schenectady passed such a bill in February, emphasizing that the change would be intended to prevent crashes. The town of Bethlehem is dropping its speed limit to 25 MPH, and has demonstrated its intent to implement signage, education, and enforcement accordingly. The city of Cohoes is adopting a 25 MPH limit as well. Its mayor pointed directly to the statewide bill and said his city’s adjustment had been under consideration since its passing. Albany itself has already implemented a 25 MPH speed limit beginning this year. FSS, in conjunction with the NYS Safe Streets Coalition, held a webinar explaining how others across the state and lower their speed limit to 25 MPH.

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FSS MEMBER ANNIE GOLDNER IN NEWSWEEK
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS MEMBER ANNIE GOLDNER IN NEWSWEEK

FSS member Annie Goldner’s story of loss and grief is featured in Newsweek. Annie’s son, Adam Uster—a husband, father, & cycling advocate— was struck and killed by the driver of a flatbed truck while riding his bike home.

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Amy Cohen & Dahlia Goldenberg Featured As NY Transportation Power Players
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

Amy Cohen & Dahlia Goldenberg Featured As NY Transportation Power Players

FSS Co-Founder & President Amy Cohen as well as FSS Associate Director Dahlia Goldenberg are featured in the PoliticsNY and amNY Metro 2025 Power Players in Transportation list. The 2025 Power Players in Transportation are the leaders behind many of the innovations in transportation seen throughout the city. From public officials to private sector executives to nonprofit and union leaders, the 2025 Power Players in Transportation continue to drive transportation in NYC towards a bright future.

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CRAINS NY HIGHLIGHTS DANGERS OF SUPER SPEEDERS
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

CRAINS NY HIGHLIGHTS DANGERS OF SUPER SPEEDERS

Crains NY article features FSS’ efforts to #StopSuperSpeeders. “A small group of reckless drivers are terrorizing the city’s streets, contributing to an increasingly dangerous environment for pedestrians, according to new analysis of city speed camera data by street safety groups Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets.” Read more about the NY bill to #StopSuperSpeeders that has launched an effort of states across the country demanding that the drivers disproportionately causing harm need anti-speeding tech in their vehicles.

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Honoring the Victims: One Year of Placing Signs at Fatal Crash Sites in Portland
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

Honoring the Victims: One Year of Placing Signs at Fatal Crash Sites in Portland

In a moving guest article for BikePortland, FSS member Sarah Risser shared her journey of placing signs at the sites of every deadly crash in the Portland, Oregon, creating a stark reminder of the human lives lost to the city’s dangerous streets. Through this project, Risser sought to bring visibility to the issue of road safety, hoping that the simple yet powerful act of placing signs would awaken the public to the severity of the situation. This project, however, was more than just a memorial. It became a call for change, urging people to reconsider the normalization of traffic deaths.

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FSS NJ: SUCCESSFULLY LED THE CHARGE for a Target Zero Commission</span>
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS NJ: SUCCESSFULLY LED THE CHARGE for a Target Zero Commission

Sangeeta Badlani and others from the FSS NJ chapter stood with Governor Phil Murphey as he signed legislation to create the nation’s first Target Zero Commission. Through tireless advocacy and collaboration, FSS helped establish this landmark initiative aimed at reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero.

The Target Zero Commission brings together experts, lawmakers, and community leaders to strategize and implement actionable plans to make New Jersey's streets safer for everyone. FSS’s role in this effort highlights the power of survivor-led advocacy, as our members’ stories continue to inspire systemic change.

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FSS MARKS TEN YEARS
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS MARKS TEN YEARS

Thank you to our member Dr. Anna-Cornelius Schecter for bravely sharing her story and her testimony to FSS work at our 10 year anniversary celebration. Amy Cohen, Mary Beth Kelly and others shared about FSS’ incredible legislative and policy wins in New York and across the country. From advocating for stronger protections to supporting communities affected by traffic violence, we’ve made real progress—but the work isn’t done. Here's to a decade of impact and continued progress ahead.

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Congestion Pricing To Go Into Effect in NYC!
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

Congestion Pricing To Go Into Effect in NYC!

After a decade long fight, NYC will finally get a proven solution to reduce congestion and save lives. Ten years ago, Mary Beth Kelly spoke out in favor of Congestion Pricing. Now, FSS stands with dozens of organizations to thank Governor Hochul for finally making it a reality — with a full-page ad in The New York Times.

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FSS On Strong Towns PodCast
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS On Strong Towns PodCast

Amy Cohen speaks to Chuck Marohn on Strong Towns about the importance of using both data and personal stories to drive change, some of Families for Safe Streets’ recent initiatives, and advice for local advocates on how to support people who have lost loved ones to traffic violence. Learn how victim-led advocacy can change the conversation in the fight for safe streets.

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70+ communities Mark World Day of Remembrance
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

70+ communities Mark World Day of Remembrance

More than 70 communities in 29 states and Washington DC marked World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in the United States. FSS members, advocates, and community leaders organized rallies, memorial walks and bike rides, candlelight vigils, visual installations with shoes and flags to represent those killed in traffic crashes and called on leaders across all levels of government to implement life-saving safety measures. Mayors and other local and state elected leaders participated in many of the events, accompanied by people whose children, parents or friends had been killed or severely injured in crashes that could and should be prevented in the future. Check out the coverage in Forbes. Over 100 media outlets covered the events. Read the WDoR recap of events in the US.

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FSS on America Walks Webinar
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS on America Walks Webinar

FSS Co-Founder Amy Cohen joined Walk SF Jodie Medeiros and Kea Wilson from Streetsblog USA for a conversation on how to get government at all levels to take action for safer vehicles. Check out the webinar.

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FSS DEMANDS SAFER VEHICLES
Amy Cohen Amy Cohen

FSS DEMANDS SAFER VEHICLES

Eight months after surviving a horrific crash where she was not expected to live, FSS California member Anna Cornelius-Schecter shares her story in Next City and demands action for safer vehicles — starting with mandating anti-speeding tech in the federal fleet.

“This past February, right after the Super Bowl ended, I said goodbye to my friends and shared how excited I was to ride my new bicycle home. When I hadn’t texted my friends to confirm I’d arrived home safely, they checked my shared location and saw that I was in the hospital. There was nothing I could have done to prevent the near-deadly crash. But our leaders could be doing more to protect us all from this kind of random suffering.”

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