ABOUT

Despite advancements in automotive safety, the number of traffic incidents is still increasing. This is something StopAccidentes, an NGO founded by family and friends of accident victims, is determined to change.

Memorial Route harnesses digital tools to change this. How? By transforming an everyday technology into a powerful tool for families affected by road accidents, giving them a way to not only honour the victims but to raise road-safety awareness among the public.

It also proved that a brand or organisation can inspire meaningful movements to help save lives on the road, all without the need for huge budgets.
What if a victim of a traffic accident could save lives? Memorial Route was more than just a campaign, it was the start of a movement from StopAccidentes – one that uses technology to empower relatives of road victims to help prevent future accidents.

The Google Maps “Add Missing Place” feature is usually used to highlight places of interest and businesses… until now. We hijacked it and turned it into one that people can use to create digital memorials.

Transforming Spain’s traffic victims into heroes, while honouring them at the same time, Memorial route raises awareness and, most importantly, helps prevent future accidents and save lives.
On the World Day of Remembrance for Victims of Traffic Accidents, StopAccidentes launched Memorial Route. But its impact stretches far beyond a single day and has since become a digital movement.

Using Google Maps – the world’s most popular navigation tool – we empowered the relatives of accident victims to add a ‘Missing Place’ at the exact location of the accident and name it after their loved one.

When drivers see these pins on their route, they’re confronted with the reality of road accidents and the human lives affected: a powerful incentive to drive more cautiously and adhere to traffic laws, ultimately preventing future accidents.

To support the campaign, we created a website to collect all these tributes in one online memorial. The real stories of Natalia, Pablo and so many others are more powerful than any traffic campaign and can save more lives.

Memorial Route broke the silence around road safety. Thousands of people have placed pins on Google Maps so far, all marking the exact spot they lost a loved one. By sharing the victim’s stories, the families are spreading their messages and raising awareness for safer roads.

This campaign became a widely discussed topic all over Spain - on TV, the radio, on social media and in newspapers. It even sparked a debate within the Spanish Parliament around the issue of safer roads.

Generating 315 million impressions and 5.1 million in earned media, Memorial Route has become an open platform for everyone – in Spain and across the globe – to help save lives.

By leveraging the authenticity of the personal testimonials of the victims, Memorial Route showed that even the most impactful initiatives can be done with zero financial investment.