Testimony of the DC Pedestrian Advisory Council to DC Council, October 26, 2023

J. I. Swiderski

2023-10-26

The Pedestrian Advisory Council (PAC) was created by DC law in 2009 to advise “the Mayor, Council… and District agencies” on how to improve “pedestrian safety and accessibility.”1 —DC Law 18-111, § 6061 (“Pedestrian Advisory Council Establishment Act of 2009”), DC Code §50–1931, 57 DCR 181 (Mar. 3, 2010). I am J. Swiderski, and I represent Ward 1 on the PAC.

Every year, the crash injuries and deaths of children on Halloween are far above the United States’ already-horrific normal. As a 2019 Washington Post story said, “children are three times more likely to be struck and killed by a car on [Halloween] than any other day of the year.”