World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Statement of the Chair of the UN Road Safety Collaboration Dr Etienne Krug 17 November 2013 In the weeks leading up to this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, not a day has gone by without us hearing disturbing news of lives shattered by road traffic crashes: from major bus crashes in Kenya, Nepal and Peru, to just yesterday - the message from a father who lost his two-year old daughter when she was struck by a car as she ran after a ball. My heart goes out to bereaved families and friends whose loved ones have been killed or seriously injured on the worlds roads this year. The Decade of Action for Road Safety gives governments - and all of us - a platform to put concrete measures in place to prevent this loss of life. I am encouraged by the actions being taken. Countries like India, Mexico and New Zealand are assessing the state of their roads; New Car Assessment Programmes are highlighting gaps in the safety of vehicles; campaigns to prevent drink-driving are on-going in Brazil, Cambodia and Viet Nam, and to promote child car seats in the Russian Federation and motorcycle helmets in Yemen; and countries such as Mozambique, Romania and Thailand continue to improve their trauma care systems. Despite progress, the WHO Global status report on road safety 2013 reminds us that much more is needed and that laws and their enforcement need to be strengthened everywhere if we are to have roads that are safe for all. Lets continue to work together to achieve the Decades goal of saving 5 million lives. About the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims The World Day of Remembrance is observed on the third Sunday of November each year by an increasing number of governments and civil society organizations on every continent. This Day is dedicated to remembering the many millions killed or injured in road traffic crashes each year and their families and communities. It also pays tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who daily deal with the traumatic aftermath of these events. Endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2005 as the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families, resolutions to observe the Day were also adopted in 2011 by both the European Parliament and the African Union. In 2013, events have been registered in more than 50 countries, among others: launches of awareness campaigns in Brazil, Cameroon, Croatia and Kenya; seminars for the bereaved in Belgium; memorial services including candle-light vigils in Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, India, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania and Uganda; unveiling of memorials to road traffic victims in Slovenia and Togo; remembrance walks or cycling tours in Canada, Nigeria, Turkey and the United Kingdom; memorial concerts in Greece, Lithuania and the Philippines. LINKS TO RELATED RESOURCES IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES UN Road Safety Collaboration web site who.int/roadsafety/remembrance_day/en/index.html Official World Day of Remembrance web site worlddayofremembrance.org/ Decade Secretariat Ms Laura Sminkey Communications Officer Email: [email protected] Tel: +41 22 791 4547
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:06:48 +0000
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