FFSS is working to end traffic violence in Toronto by changing laws, enforcement, street design, public attitudes and traffic culture to make our vibrant streets safer and more equitable for all road users, while supporting those who are survivors.
Our members are survivors of traffic collisions and friends and families whose loved ones have been killed or severely injured by careless drivers and dangerous conditions on Toronto's streets.
We work with legislators, planners, police, transit authorities, active transportation advocates, public health professionals, and the travelling public to improve the design of our streets, the enforcement of safety laws, and the traffic culture that influences how we view serious injuries and fatalities.
Our goal is to end traffic violence in Toronto.
The Art of Distraction Campaign
In 2018, Friends and Families for Safe Streets partnered with the City of Toronto on “The Art of Distraction”, a series of stories and installations intended to remind drivers to pay attention behind the wheel. We hope this campaign can provide some purpose to our senseless losses.
As difficult as it is to bring memories of our loss to the forefront, we hope the audience for Art of Distraction will find it difficult to look away and ignore the campaign’s message. Although there will never be justice for the victims of crashes and their families, the Art of Distraction takes an important step towards doing justice to our experiences of road violence.
Installations invited passersby to consider the devastating impacts of distracted driving. You can view the stories and installations on the City of Toronto's Vision Zero Education Campaigns page.
Our Three Priorities
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Get serious with penalties for dangerous driving behaviours
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“Speed Kills”: Reduce the speed limit in Toronto to 30km/h
- Language Matters: Say “Crash” Not “Accident”
Click here to learn more about our three priorities.
#BuildtheVisionTO: our municipal election campaign
The 2018 municipal election presented a critical opportunity for our leaders to commit to putting the safety of our loved ones first.
In June 2018, we launched #BuildtheVisionTO, as part of a coalition of road safety advocates including TCAT, Cycle Toronto, Walk Toronto, and 880 Cities. This campaign was all about building streets where people of all ages and abilities can get around actively, sustainably and safely. To that end, we laid out 15 priorities that we demand from our elected officials to make safe and active streets for all. From reducing speed limits city-wide to designing for traffic calming, the strategies have been tried and tested in cities around the world - now, we need action in Toronto. Here are our three priorities:
- Implement a city-wide default speed limit of 30km/h on all residential streets and 40km/h on all arterial and collector roads
- Substantially increase the use of automated safety cameras for speeding and red-light running
- Match New York City's per-capita funding for Toronto's Vision Zero Road Safety Plan
Find out more about the three priority asks we presented to all candidates in Toronto's 2018 municipal election campaign.
You can also review the #BuildTheVisionTO Call to Action and the #BuildTheVisionTO One-Pager.
Ask your councillor: Will they work to reduce traffic speeds and red-light-running and properly fund the Vision Zero road safety plan so we can redesign our streets for safety?
Support Services
For people who have survived a collision with a vehicle, and for people who have experienced having a loved one – whether friends or family - killed or injured in a traffic crash, peer support can be an important tool in processing the complex situation they find themselves in.
We offer support group meetings each month for adults over the age of 18. Peer Support Group meetings are closed to the public and are solely for people bereaved through the death of a family member or friend by road violence and for those who are recovering/have recovered from traumatic injury in a collision with a vehicle.
Support Group meetings are held on the 2nd Sunday of the month from 2:00-4:00 pm in a fully accessible space.
Please follow FFSS on Twitter and Facebook for announcements on dates and locations for upcoming meetings.
Support Group meeting dates for 2020:
Monthly support group meetings have been temporarily suspended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a support group meeting can be set up on an as-needed basis by emailing support@ffsafestreets.ca.
Advocacy Meetings
Our Friends and Families for Safe Streets advocacy working group meetings are held periodically in a fully accessible space. If you have been affected because you or a close friend or family member was killed or seriously injured by road violence, please attend a meeting to learn more.
For inquiries, you can email advocacy@ffsafestreets.ca or call our main contact number.
We do not have any Advocacy Meetings coming up at this time. Check our Facebook page for updates.
Position Statements and Open Letters
July 15, 2019
Media
Friends and Families for Safe Streets strives to be a leading voice in discussions about road safety in Toronto and beyond.
Please contact us with media requests at advocacy@ffsafestreets.ca
Please see our Media Archive for past stories featuring FFSS.
Supporters
Friends and Families for Safe Streets is supported by Cycle Toronto, Walk Toronto, Safe Streets: Kids at Play, the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation and Bike Law Canada.
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