Hundreds participated Sunday in the 14th annual STOP for Nikhil 5K – a race that aims to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on roadways across the state.

The event at West Orange High School is held in memory of West Orange Middle School student Nikhil Badlani. He died in a car crash in 2011 when a driver failed to stop at a stop sign in South Orange.

"We want people to understand that responsibility for when they're on the road...and to make sure that they think when they're behind the wheel," said Nikhil's mother Sangeeta Badlani, president of the Nikhil Badlani Foundation.

In 2015, Nikhil's Law was passed, which requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to include awareness questions on the driver's license test. It also gives them the option to take the "STOP for Nikhil Safety Pledge."

Money raised from the event goes to the Badlani Foundation’s traffic safety programs, music lessons and scholarships for students.