The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is urging drivers to slow down and look out for pedestrians and bicyclists.

As part of National Pedestrian Safety Month, the council is launching a new Street Smart safety campaign with the slogan, “Slow Down, Life Ahead.”

The campaign aims to cut down on distracted and impaired driving this fall and winter, when there’s fewer daylight hours and decreased visibility on the road.

“In 2023, we know that there were 110 pedestrian and seven bicyclist deaths in the national capital region,” said Chrissy Nizer, head of Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration. “All of those 117 deaths were preventable.”

As part of the campaign, local police departments will step up enforcement of traffic safety laws that are meant to keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe.

“Maintaining pedestrian and bicycle safety is paramount and it should be the top priority of everyone using our roads,” said Carlos Heraud, assistant chief of D.C.’s police department. “Toward that goal, MPD increased patrols in high pedestrian areas, particularly near schools, to foster compliance and safety.”

Street Smart teams will also act as walking billboards in areas where pedestrian-involved crashes tend to happen most. They’ll wear large signs with images of people during important life events and feature the campaign’s message.

“It talks about all of those important life events that we all want to share with our families and friends,” Nizer said. “Whether that’s graduation, a wedding, or moving into a new home, just thinking about that when you’re out on the road tells you that there are consequences for driving distracted.”

Mike Doyle from Virginia is a crash survivor and founder of the Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets advocacy group.

He said education is an important part of keeping the region’s roadways safe.

“This Street Smart program helps us to amplify the message of ‘slow down, be aware and just be considerate to save a life,’” Doyle said.

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