Pedestrian safety advocates in San Francisco hold memorial for deadly car crash victims

SAN FRANCISCO (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Pedestrian safety advocates commemorated the 10th anniversary of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, marking an emotional evening for families who lost a loved one in a car crash in San Francisco.

It's also been a decade since the city implemented Vision Zero a policy committing to zero traffic deaths in San Francisco by 2024, but there's a lot of work to be done.

300 pairs of white shoes lined up the steps of City Hall in San Francisco on Sunday, with organizers calling them "ghost shoes" in honor of traffic victims, killed in the city over the last decade.

"It is very difficult when someone loses a loved one, especially a child...It is very difficult," said Elizabeth Chávez, who is one of the mourning families who joined the vigil in honor of the 10th anniversary of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

She says her daughter, Aileen, was hit and killed by a speeding driver in 2013.

As part of the memorial, speakers read the names of those killed in crashes in the last 10 years in San Francisco. That's when the city introduced "Vision Zero."

"Which is the goal of ending fatalities and severe injuries," said Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director for Walk San Francisco (SF).

But as families and advocates point out, there's more work to be done.

"Over the course of the last 10 years of the city passing the Vision Zero policy, on average 500 people a year have been in crashes. We also think that is often under reported. Not everyone goes in an ambulance to SF General," Medeiros shared.

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 645, a bill Walk SF campaigned for. It legalizes surveillance cameras to help catch speeding drivers for a five-year pilot program. Speed cameras will be installed in six cities including San Francisco, starting next month.

Supporters say the program will dramatically reduce crashes and save lives.