The Colorado Department of Transportation unveiled a memorial to the 76 pedestrians across the state who died in 2019, while debuting a series of billboards for a new “Left Behind” awareness campaign.

“During the summer months more people are out walking so it’s important we all use extra caution and do our part to ensure everyone gets home safely,” said Sam Cole, CDOT’s traffic safety manager.

“Left Behind” highlights the personal belongings that remain following a pedestrian fatality. One billboard in Denver depicts a victim’s shoe in a roadway left behind after a crash.

Melissa Myers spoke at CDOT’s event at Union Station on Wednesday. A drunk driver killed her 13-year-old son, Gavin, in 2018.

“Since Gavin’s tragic and senseless death, our family, friends, and community have been advocating for the safety of pedestrians because no family should ever have to bury their loved one at the hand of a careless or distracted driver,” she said.

CDOT reports that the highest pedestrian death count in recent years was in 2017, when 92 people died. So far in 2020, 47 people have perished, with El Paso County having the highest number of fatalities — nine. Denver, Adams, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties have all seen at least five people die. The department warned that nighttime poses an elevated danger, and that nationwide, two-thirds of pedestrian deaths in 2018 were men.

The billboards will appear in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, and also as advertisements on Regional Transportation District vehicles.