PRESS RELEASE
WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS
DATE: 18TH NOVEMBER 2018
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started by Road
Peace in 1993. Since then it has been observed and promoted worldwide by
several NGOs, including the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims
(FEVR) and its associated organizations. On 26 October 2005, the United
Nations endorsed it as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in
November each year, making it a major advocacy day for road traffic injury
prevention. WHO and the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration encourage
governments and NGOs around the world to commemorate this day.
The day has become an important tool in global efforts to reduce road
casualties. It offers an opportunity for drawing attention to the scale of
emotional and economic devastation caused by road crashes and for giving
recognition to the suffering of road crash victims and the work of support
and rescue services.
Road deaths and injuries are sudden, violent, traumatic events. Their
impact is long-lasting, often permanent. Each year, millions of newly
injured and bereaved people from every corner of the world are added to
the countless millions who already suffer. The cumulative toll is truly
tremendous.
The grief and distress experienced by this huge number of people is all
the greater because many of the victims are young, because many of the
crashes could and should have been prevented and because governments’ and
society’s response to road death and injury and to bereaved and injured
victims is often inadequate, unsympathetic, and inappropriate to a loss of
life or quality of life.
This special Remembrance Day is therefore intended to respond to the great
need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and
suffering. It has also become an important tool for governments and those
who work to prevent crashes or respond to the aftermath, since it offers
the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road
deaths and injuries and the urgent need for action.
We at World Assembly Youth (WAY), believe that road traffic injuries can
be prevented. Governments need to take action to address road safety in a
holistic manner; this requires involvement from multiple sectors such as
transport, police, health, education, and actions that address the safety
of roads, vehicles, and road users.
SDG 11.2 calls to “provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and
sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by
expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those
in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and
older persons” by 2030.
