Photo Credit: Bruce Buckley

Sunday, November 16, marked World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, an annual, worldwide event to honor the 1.35 million people killed globally in traffic crashes and the 40,000 traffic victims killed in the U.S. every year.

The largest of these events in the United States is the annual Ride for Your Life, a memorial ride in Washington, D.C., to honor lives lost and to advocate for policy change. Now in its fourth year, the most recent ride in November included more than 800 participants who rode 10 miles from Bethesda, Maryland, to the Lincoln Memorial, where they held a rally calling on policymakers to invest in safer infrastructure for biking and walking.

The Ride for Your Life was conceived in 2022 by Dan Langenkamp, the husband of mother, wife, cyclist, and U.S. diplomat Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, who was tragically killed while riding her bike in Bethesda in 2022. Langenkamp worked with advocates and partners such as the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), Trek Bicycle, Families for Safe Streets, PeopleForBikes, and others, to turn the ride into an annual event.

“I’ve been stunned by the positive response to this ride. Clearly we are meeting the need for more advocacy on this issue,” said Langenkamp. The aim is both to remember those lost to traffic violence, and to push for concrete legislative changes and infrastructure investments, he added. “We are not just memorializing Sarah. As important as that is, our act of honoring our loved ones is meaningless if we don’t get concrete change out of it.”

The rides have demonstrated their impact, leading to legislation and spreading to four other cities. The first event in Washington led to the introduction of federal legislation in Sarah’s honor: the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act. After three years of steady advocacy and bipartisan support in Congress, the bill (H.R. 2011/S. 944) is currently being considered as part of the 2026 surface transportation reauthorization.

The second ride in 2023 led to a law named after Sarah in Maryland that extends the same protections for crosswalks to people using bike lanes and shoulders. Other rides in Madison, Wisconsin; Boulder, Colorado; Boston, Massachusetts; and Saskatoon, Canada, also resulted in legislation. The largest ride of all took place in Boulder, Colorado, in July 2024, when 5,000 people rode in the Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life to memorialize Magnus White, a rising youth cycling star killed on his bike just outside of Boulder a year earlier. It resulted in the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act (H.R. 3649) currently in the U.S. Congress, and other Colorado legislation. Magnus’ bill would equip cars with automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems capable of detecting bicycles and motorcycles.

Photo credit: Bruce Buckley

What Does The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act Do?

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act is a proposed federal bill that will make it easier to build safe, connected bike networks. Currently, local governments — especially in smaller communities — often struggle to find adequate funding to build complete bike networks. This legislation will give states greater flexibility to use federal funds and boost local efforts to fill gaps in transportation networks for bicyclists and pedestrians. Importantly, this bipartisan bill creates no new programs, funding, or regulations.

Specifically, the bill expands eligibility for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) projects to include projects that:

• Close gaps in bike networks.
• Improve vulnerable road user (VRU) safety through the construction of Proven Safety Countermeasures, which are Department of Transportation-defined, data-driven measures and strategies that enhance the safety of VRUs.
• Reduce safety risks for vulnerable road users through strategies described in “vulnerable road user safety assessments,” which every state must complete.

The bill also empowers states to fund bicycle and pedestrian safety projects with 100% federal funds by granting states the flexibility to use HSIP funds to pay for the required 20% local funding share for projects under the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). This addresses the challenge small and large communities face in finding matching funds to plan and implement bicycle and pedestrian safety projects.

Why This Bill Matters for Safer Roads

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act comes at a critical time. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1,106 riders were killed in 2024 — a record high. Since 2010, bicyclist fatalities in the U.S. have risen by 87%.

Now more than ever, Americans across the country are turning to bikes for transportation and recreation, with a record 112 million people riding a bike in the U.S. in 2024. No one should have to question whether or not they will be safe while doing so. Building safe places to ride is the key to saving lives.

What’s Next?

Congress is currently in the middle of reauthorizing federal surface transportation funding programs, and they are considering the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act as part of that process. Congress must pass a surface reauthorization bill before funding expires on September 30, 2026.

PeopleForBikes is advocating on Capitol Hill for lawmakers to pass laws that will make it safer for people riding bikes. The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act is a key bill on our robust federal agenda for surface reauthorization. We are working alongside many partners who also support the legislation, including the League of American Bicyclists, Families for Safe Streets, the Safe Routes Partnership, and the National League of Cities.

This Bill Connects to the Core Values of PeopleForBikes

Our work at PeopleForBikes is rooted in three pillars:

• Accelerate the construction of safe, fun, and connected places to ride.
• Advance pro-bike policy at all levels of government.
• Reduce barriers to access and welcome more people to the joys of bicycling.

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act will build more safe places to ride, enact policy changes that benefit bicycling, and allow more people to safely experience the joys of riding a bike.

How You Can Help Pass the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act

Contact your members of Congress and encourage them to support the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act (HR2011/S944). If you would like assistance, please reach out to PeopleForBikes Director of Federal Policy Chris Bell at chris@peopleforbikes.org.

Photo credit: Bruce Buckley