![The ‘711 Empty Chairs’ installation are displayed at the California Department of Transportation plaza in downtown Los Angeles on November 16. Families of traffic accident victims hold panels with messages calling for accident prevention. [Sangjin Kim, The Korea Daily]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1118-traffic.jpg)
A new traffic safety campaign took center stage in downtown Los Angeles on November 16 as 711 empty chairs were unveiled to honor the 711 people who died in traffic collisions across Los Angeles County last year. Despite heavy rain, families and traffic-safety leaders gathered to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Each chair held a single yellow rose, symbolizing the absence left by every life lost.
Several organizations, including the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), Caltrans, the nonprofit SAFE, the Emily Shane Foundation, and the Automobile Club of Southern California, joined grieving families for the memorial event. Loved ones placed photos and names of victims on the chairs to show the daily void left behind.
Among them was Debbie Xiong, co-founder of the Southern California Families for Safe Streets (SCFFSS) coalition. She shared the story of her son Aidan, a lively 7-year-old who loved grocery shopping and boba drinks. He often said he wanted to become a “market owner” when he grew up. However, on May 31, 2014, Aidan was walking across a crosswalk in Pasadena with his family when a driver who failed to look ahead struck and killed him during a right turn.
Debbie said Aidan’s death underscores how simple decisions—such as avoiding speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving—can save lives. She added that many tragedies could be prevented if drivers showed greater care and attention. In addition, she urged the public to stay alert on the road, noting that every unsafe choice risks creating “another empty chair.”
During the event, officials announced the launch of the Empty Chair Club, a new effort within the broader traffic safety campaign that highlights the everyday spaces left vacant by victims. The project aims to help the public understand how traffic collisions disrupt families far beyond the moment of impact.
Stephanie Dougherty, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety, said too many Californians continue to die in crashes that could have been prevented. She noted that the memorial reinforces the message that everyone—drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians—must do their part to make roads safer.
The state has set an ambitious target to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries by 30 percent by 2035. Therefore, California is investing billions of dollars in projects that improve road conditions and strengthen protections for cyclists and pedestrians. These efforts are part of a long-term statewide strategy to reduce risk and prevent fatalities.
Officials encouraged residents to learn more about the traffic safety campaign and find ways to get involved through the state’s safety website, gosafelyca.org. The site offers educational materials, prevention programs, and opportunities to support ongoing safety initiatives.
BY GYEONGEUN PARK [park.gyeongeun@koreadaily.com]
