This book is a collection of photographs and information from the World Day website and social media entries in individual years spanning 30 years of World Day of Remembrance observance. Apologies therefore for any repetitions.

Foreword

Sometimes an idea becomes a powerful reality and this is what the World Day of Remembrance for Road Victims has become over the past 25 years.

The idea for a regular remembrance day for road traffic victims was born because the scale and impact of road deaths and injuries is so enormous. This carnage represents a worldwide permanent civil war on the roads and a Day on which this fact would be highlighted was aimed at stopping the shocking indifference to this carnage and eventually lead to an end of all preventable road deaths and injuries.

The World Day of Remembrance was established by road victim NGOs and will be observed for the 30th time in November 2023. For this reason, we are looking back at World Day commemorations of the past.

Thanks go to Jeannot Mersch, FEVR President since 2010, for the idea of creating this booklet and the work of compiling it from the massive store of materials spanning 30 years – a huge task!

The purpose of this booklet is to remind, inform and enthuse: remind ourselves of the varied wonderful, powerful and creative events that were held in the past, inform new event organisers and all other stakeholders of what has been done before and enthuse all past and new road safety actors to become even more imaginative and industrious in respect of future World Day commemorations, as well as their widest publicity and, most of all, their effectiveness.

Since the main source of this booklet is the World Day website https://worlddayofremembrance.org/ please visit its many pages and also ensure that events in your country and by your organisation are included.

Concerning publicity of our World Day – the visitor map on the website has recorded visits from 205 countries – this represents arguably visitors from all countries in the world – may each one of them publicise the World Day and its messages throughout their own country!

Concerning effectiveness of our World Day – together with many NGO colleagues, I am deeply disappointed that the scourge of road deaths and injuries continues day in and day out and that an end is still much too far away. May the next 25 years of World Day observance bring us very much closer!

Brigitte Chaudhry MBE
Founder & President RoadPeace (UK)
Past President FEVR (2004-2010)

About the beginning of World Day and about this booklet.

From 1993 onwards, Brigitte Chaudhry, founder of RoadPeace, UK’s charity for road crash victims, pursued the objective of a common Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. As she was at this time also strongly involved in the work of FEVR, the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (which Prof. Marcel Haegi, a bereaved father, had founded in 1991 in Geneva, Switzerland), FEVR became also part of this plan and hence its success - some info here: https://wdor-archive.com/teams/brigitte-chaudhry/

This booklet is a compilation of texts and photograph from many sources, but primarily from the World Day website, launched on 26^th October 2008 to coincide with the UN adoption of the World Day on that day.

The current version of the website is its 3^rd – on Wordpress, which was called for by event organisers. Brigitte Chaudhry is the creator and author of the website and was its editor and coordinator for 10 years – from the launch in 2008 until the end of 2017. Her website is now archived at https://wdor-archive.com/

Because the text comes from individual website pages, there are repetitions here and there.

It must also be remembered that this booklet is a collation of World Day events spanning 25 years, therefore the facts that are mentioned, such as statistics, refer to the particular years and may be different for subsequent years.

Victim organisations establish this day
Observed for ten years from 1993 by victim organisations under the umbrella of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims, FEVR, this Remembrance Day has become a very important day for bereaved and injured victims and all those supporting them. Gradually it has also come to be seen by many others as an important day on which to highlight the huge scale of road death and injury, its impact and cost, and as an opportunity for taking action.

WHO and UN promote global recognition
From 2003 onwards the World Health Organisation has been supporting the recognition of this day by the United Nations and this recognition came with UN resolution 60/5, adopted by the General Assembly on 26 October 2005 who welcomed …the proposal to designate the third Sunday in November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, in recognition of road traffic victims’ and their families’ loss and suffering and invited Member States and the international community to recognize this day.

World Day is observed worldwide
World Day observance has already spread to all continents and is spreading to more countries with every year - the Archive on the World Day website shows their rising number as does online research. The World Day itself is known in every country of the world - the website’s visitor map has recorded visits from 205 countries – this is testament to the absolutely global spread of the World Day as there are only 206 sovereign states in the world.

Importance of official World Day recognition by governments
Giving significance to this Remembrance Day will signal the importance governments accord to the issue of road danger reduction, therefore their response to the call for official World Day recognition will be closely observed.

UN General Assembly adopts World Day on 26.10.2005

From 2003 onwards the World Health Organization has been supporting the recognition of this day by the United Nations. This took place on 26 October 2005 when UN resolution 60/5 was adopted by the General Assembly, who welcomed …the proposal to designate the third Sunday in November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in recognition of road traffic victims’ and their families’ loss and suffering, and invited ‘Member States and the international community’ to recognize this day.

Invitation to join in the Global observance of this Day

World Day observance has already spread to all continents and is extending to more countries on each continent with every year. This Day is not only significant for bereaved and injured victims and all those supporting them, but gradually it has also come to be seen by many others as an important day on which to highlight the huge scale of road death and injury, its impact and cost, and as an opportunity for taking action. Please join in the observance of World Day!

Guide for organizers of events on World Day

The World Health Organisation, RoadPeace and the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims have developed a guide for those wishing to plan an event of remembrance and develop related advocacy material to mark the day. This document can be downloaded from: World day of remembrance for road traffic victims (who.int)

This dedicated World Day website was launched on 26^th October 2008 - three years from the UN recognition. Work on the site continues.

Why World Day of Remembrance?

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) is observed on the third Sunday of November each year by an increasing number of countries on every continent around the world. This day is dedicated to remembering the many millions killed or injured in road crashes and their families and communities, as well as to pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who daily deal with the traumatic aftermath of road death and injury.

Why is there a need for this day?

Road deaths and injuries are sudden, violent, traumatic events, the impact of which 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 already suffering as the result of a road crash.

The burden of 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 the response to road death and injury and to victims and families is often inadequate, unsympathetic, and inappropriate to the loss of life or quality of life.

Monument in the Netherlands. " The Last Cry"

This special Remembrance Day is intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering.

This day has also become an important tool for governments and all those whose work involves crash prevention or response 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 concerted action to stop the carnage.

WHO and UN promote global recognition

In 2003, the World Health Organisation hosted a meeting of road victim advocacy NGOs and discussed UN recognition of the World Day. The ongoing support by WHO and the call during the UN GA in 2004 for a global day on which to highlight the worldwide road casualty toll led to the endorsement of the World Day in UN Resolution 60/5, adopted by the General Assembly on 26 October 2005 as “the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”. Member States and the international community are urged to recognize this day.

The Archives will demonstrate the rising numbers of observing countries each year, as will the World Day Facebook and Twitter sites and online research.

Official support

Politicians in many countries have already expressed support for the World Day in many diverse ways (see Official Recognition – Parliaments & Governments), while on two continents - Europe and Africa – resolutions to observe the World Day were adopted in 2011 both by the European Parliament and Conference of African Ministers of Transport:.

https://www.nrsc.org.na/post/africa-road-safety-day-2021

The response of governments around the world to the UN call for official recognition of the World Day of Remembrance will signal how seriously they treat the critical issue of road risk and road casualty reduction, and their commitment to this cause is being closely monitored by road crash victim and road safety advocacy NGOs alike.

The Early Years

Brigitte Chaudhry, founder of RoadPeace (UK) introduced the idea of a joint Remembrance Day to her colleagues at a FEVR assembly in 1994. Everyone welcomed the observance of such a Day and after discussions it was also agreed that this Day should be the 3. Sunday in November each year.

Simona Murialdo, a graphic designer from Italy and Brigitte’s friend developed the first official logos:

The candle logo was approved as the main one.

First named European Day of Remembrance, by the year 2000 the Day was known as World Day since the Pope in his Angelus on the 3. Sunday of November remembered road victims everywhere and spoke about road crashes as a worldwide problem that should be addressed globally.

In the early years, there were no common slogans or common campaigns, but the website created by Brigitte already gave useful information about the why and how of “our” Day of Remembrance:

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year - to remember the millions killed and injured on the world's roads, their families and the many others who are also affected.

The World Day’s history: From 1995, road victim organisations under the umbrella of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) observed this Day together - first as European Day of Remembrance, but soon as World Day when NGOs from Africa, South America and Asia, who were associated members of FEVR, joined. FEVR is therefore the Creator and first owner of the World Day of Remembrance. Ten years later – on 26th October 2005 - the World Day was adopted by the UN General Assembly as “the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”. Since then, the World Day has been commemorated across all continents – not only by NGOs advocating for road safety and road victims, but also by governments and other stakeholders.

In 2015 we were therefore celebrating the 20th anniversary of observing the World Day internationally and the 10th anniversary of its adoption by the United Nations.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), elected by the UN as ‘Coordinator for tackling the global road safety crisis’ in 2004, continues to promote global recognition of the World Day. WHO also published a Guide for Organizers of World Day events written jointly by WHO, FEVR and RoadPeace: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241594527

Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director of the Department for Violence and Injury Prevention, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have issued World Day messages since 2005. Links to messages:
https://www.who.int/groups/united-nations-road-safety-collaboration/world-day-of-remembrance

https://www.un.org/en/observances/road-traffic-victims-day

Politicians in many countries have already expressed support for the World Day in many diverse ways. This support is being lobbied for by road crash victim- and road safety advocacy NGOs.

On two continents - Europe and Africa – resolutions to observe the World Day were adopted

- in 2011 by the European Parliament

- the Conference of African Ministers of Transport: 
https://www.nrsc.org.na/post/africa-road-safety-day-2021

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 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 those affected 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, as it offers the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road death and injury and the urgent need for action.

Many varied commemorative events are held on World Day or on the days before or after, as shown by these examples:

Africa Nigeria: radio talk shows, mass bus parade; Kenya: road safety caravan through cities; Benin: awareness walk, concert, wreath laying; Uganda: public discussions & memorial service; Egypt: advocacy sessions in schools; Tanzania: multi-faith prayers & speeches; Cameroon: placing wreaths on locations of fatalities;

Asia India: conference on investigation & justice; Philippines: memorial walk & mass; Indonesia: whole month of activities; Japan: candle-lit vigils &meetings in 7 cities; Lebanon: tree-planting in a remembrance garden; Vietnam: requiem service with 15,000 participants; China: in-school activities; Turkey: unveiling of memorial to victims;

S America Mexico: photography contest; Guyana: unveiling of remembrance wall; Brazil: inauguration of the Forest of Life; Uruguay: publication of testimonies of crash victims;

N America Canada: conference; Antigua: presenting food vouchers to victims;

Oceania Australia: remembrance service; New Zealand: display of crosses

Regarding Europe – the World Day of Remembrance continues to be observed in all countries represented in the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims, in many of them already for 20 years: Croatia, Ireland, Slovenia, UK, Luxemburg, Belgium, Romania, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Bulgaria and France.

Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Moldova have recently joined in celebrating the World Day.

A dedicated website, set up (in 2008) and administered by FEVR's 2^nd president until 2017, provides examples of past commemorations and publications and invites contributions from all organizers of World Day events. It also offers the opportunity to link countries and individuals - through sharing common objectives and the remembrance of people killed and injured in crashes.

Various global initiatives are being suggested and some have already begun to be jointly observed, such as the ‘Light of Hope’ initiative.

Annual World Day posters and videos for use by World Day event organizers are produced and offered for sharing by the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims 

Logos, publicity and advocacy materials are also being shared via the website - so far chiefly provided by FEVR/ FEVR member organizations, but other WDR organizers are invited to offer suitable materials for sharing with others. Further, website visitors are invited to submit testimonies from victims, information on memorials to road victims in their country, and various publicity/advocacy materials, to be listed under their countries and continents.

Messages for NGOs re World Day of Remembrance on the World Day website:

• All NGOs who have not yet submitted information of their World Day event(s) from previous years, including photographs etc., are invited to send these to the World Day website – ideally via the submission form;
• Those NGOs who have already listed their events are requested to send visual materials (photographs, posters, leaflets etc.), also any videos, via the continuous form.
• Please publish the World Day website address on your NGO’s website. It would be good if every NGO had a special section for the World Day on their own website.
• Please publicise the World Day as widely as possible in your country
• Share the World Day twitter and facebook messages among your collaborators.
• Please contribute to the World Day website throughout the year – send testimonies, publications, including advocacy and other relevant materials for sharing, past speeches, articles, press releases, information of memorials to road victims in your country and any other information that is published on the World Day website.

A highlight was certainly when on 17th November 2015, in Brasilia, FEVR was given the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for the World Day of Remembrance, which was presented by Prince Michael of Kent to Brigitte Chaudhry and Jeannot Mersch.

TRANSLATIONs in other Languages

GREEK Why World Day of Remembrance?

Γιατί η Ευρωπαϊκή Ημέρα Μνήμης?

Η Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Μνήμης των θυμάτων Οδικής Κυκλοφορίας έχει υιοθετηθεί την Τρίτη Κυριακή του Νοεμβρίου κάθε έτους από έναν αυξανόμενο αριθμό χωρών παγκοσμίως. Η ημέρα αυτή είναι αφιερωμένη στη μνήμη των εκατομμυρίων που έχασαν τη ζωή τους ή τραυματίστηκαν σε τροχαία ατυχήματα και τις οικογένειες και τις κοινότητες τους, καθώς και αποτελεί ευκαιρία για απότιση φόρο τιμής στα σωστικά συνεργεία, την τροχαία και σε αυτούς στον ιατρικό κλάδο που καθημερινά έρχονται αντιμέτωποι με τραυματικές εμπειρίες από τροχαία ατυχήματα.

Portuguese Qual a necessidade desta celebração? 
Why is there a need for this day?A morte ou lesão por desastre de viação são ocorrências repentinas, violentas e traumáticas, e o seu impacto duradouro, por vezes, permanente. A cada ano, milhões de enlutados e vítimas de todo o planeta juntam-se aos muitos milhões que já sofrem em resultado de desastres de viação.

Common themes

The common slogans agreed for the “Decade of Action 2011-2020 are:

From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade

Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!

A main theme is then chosen each year – it is based in turn on the 5 Pillars of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety and is agreed, shared and used on common posters, videos and publicity materials.

For more information on past themes: 

World Day of Remembrance recognised by the UN

Following World Health Day 2004, when the World Health Organisation and United Nations highlighted the 'global road safety crisis' and resolved to address it, a day was sought which would illustrate the enormous global scale and emotional and economic impact on families and communities of this disaster.

On 26 October 2005, a resolution introduced by Oman's Ambassador Fuad Al-Hinai to 'recognise the third Sunday in November of every year as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims as an appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families' was duly adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York, by 82 delegates and without a vote.

Some Press Releases

16 November 2004

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
On 21 November 2004 the third Sunday of November

Worldwide Anniversary of Special Day to Remember Road Victims

Commemorated as World Day of Remembrance, this special day for road crash victims was initiated 11 years ago and first known as European Day of Remembrance, before it became known, and began to be observed, as World Day of Remembrance.

It is a day, on which all those killed and injured in road crashes are remembered, together with their families, the emergency services and all others affected or involved in the aftermath. Acts of remembrance, both religious and secular, will again take place - in places of worship and civic venues, involving not only victims, but policy makers, various stakeholders, local dignitaries, schools and community groups.

Road death and injury a Global Disaster
Road crashes are the leading cause of violent deaths and injuries worldwide and World Day of Remembrance is drawing attention to the enormous scale, which is predicted to grow, according to the World Health Organisation’s major report launched this April.

"...Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at
almost 1.2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million - the combined
population of five of the world’s largest cities... "
from the Introduction to the report

"...Every day thousands of people will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Current efforts to address road safety are minimal in comparison to this
growing human suffering..."
from the Foreword by the Director General of WHO and the World Bank's President

Need to remember and acknowledge loss and suffering
Road deaths and injuries are not treated as seriously as other disasters, and road victims do not receive the same respect and compassion as other victims of violence.

FEVR’s study into the impact of road crashes has revealed an enormous level of suffering, which was found to be compounded by the casual treatment of road death and injury by the legal system, the authorities and society as a whole.

Support for Day of Remembrance - to change attitudes to road violence
The tireless work, over many years, of road victim organisations in highlighting the plight of people bereaved and injured and campaigning for a change of attitudes towards road danger, has contributed to a growing awareness of the issues. Through the World Health Organisation and United Nations taking up this issue, particularly this year, when World Health Day on 7th April was dedicated to Safer Roads under the slogan “Road Safety is no Accident” and the UN General Assembly in New York on 14th April discussed the “global road safety crisis”, and offering support to this World Remembrance Day, it is hoped that attitudes to road violence will change leading to a significant reduction of so many needless and preventable deaths and injuries.

Worldwide Awareness and Events
- Messages will go out to politicians, the media, representatives of relevant professions and organisations, as well as the general public, informing them of World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, the enormous scale of the disaster and the urgent need to halt it - calling on them to honour the day and at the same time end the cruel disrespect towards road crash victims.

- Posters and leaflets will publicise the day and the cause widely.

- Religious and secular events will be held in the week leading up to World Day and on the Day itself, from:

· a tree planting ceremony in a Remembrance Garden in Lenasia, an Indian district of Johannesburg, South Africa

· a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial to road victims in Nievre, France

· a conference The day after a road crash and a Cathedral service, Rhodes, Greece

· a March in white of people dressed in white representing those killed and injured during one year in Luxemburg

· the launch of an internet memorial by the Luxemburg victim association

· a large ceremony for the whole of The Netherlands - Broken Lives - in Assen

· publicity against the epidemic of road casualties via posters and a ceremony in Evora, Portugal, supported by a recently formed coalition Live Road Association against Trauma, already joined by 20 organisations

· a concert at London’s Wigmore Hall in memory of road crash victims

· a Workshop for health professionals, attended by a WHO representative, on Neglect of trauma care, in London

· numerous special remembrance services being held, and prayers said, in places of worship of all denominations throughout the world.

From the UK press release:
"We hope that knowing they are not alone or forgotten, will provide comfort to crash victims and a source of strength. We welcome the growing national and international support for our Remembrance Day. With millions of people across the globe we share sadness and despair, but also hope for an end to this preventable carnage."

From the Portuguese press release:
The spirit of this celebration and public recollection of the memory of those who lost their lives or health on Portuguese roads represents a recognition by society and the state of the tragic dimension of road crashes and helps survivors deal with the trauma.

Remembering Road Crash Victims

Bexley Council is encouraging places of worship in the Borough to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday 19 November. Schools can also mark the day during assemblies, or by organising events to allow pupils to express their thoughts and feelings on this issue.

Worldwide, over 3,000 people are killed, and 100,000 injured on the roads every day. In Britain, over 3,200 people die and nearly 400,000 are injured in road crashes every year. It is, therefore, likely that people associated with religious groups and schools in the borough may have been affected by bereavement or personal injury in a road crash.

RoadPeace, the national charity supporting bereaved and injured road victims, has promoted this annual day of remembrance for the past nine years. There will be many acts of remembrance in places of worship throughout the United Kingdom to remember those killed or injured and their families. The services will also give thanks to the emergency services and other agencies involved.

Bexley's Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Peter Craske says: "Road crashes can be devastating for victims and their families. This special Day of Remembrance gives us all the opportunity to think about the terrible toll of death and injury on the roads. I urge all road users to remember to take extra care and avoid the agony a road crash causes to everyone involved."

“WHO has designated the third Sunday in November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. 
Perhaps the best way to honour this day is to end this sad record of deaths and injuries.

All nations, including the developing and poor ones, need to seriously focus on the killer that leaves carnage on roads, and robs families and state of young people who are in their prime and most productive period of their lives.

Road accidents can be prevented by monitoring speed and alcohol consumption, by promoting use of helmets and seatbelts, by ensuring greater visibility on roads of parked vehicles, stray animals and such, by improving the design and maintenance of roads, by strict enforcement of traffic rules and, finally, by improving emergency response services — specially during the "Golden Hour" when accident victims can be saved by prompt medical attention.”

No 'accident' - annual global toll of 1.2 million road deaths and 20-50m injuries as preventable as heart disease or cancer, say public health experts

Press Release 3 April 2005

Road Crash Victims Worldwide Pay Tribute to Pope John Paul II - the first church leader to remember road crash victims and their families, and call for respect and careful and responsible driving.

The tributes flooding in on the Pope's passing, mention in particular his pioneering work in many areas of world affairs and affecting people of all faiths and beliefs.

This pioneering work extended to an area, which had been largely ignored for a whole century, namely death and injury through road crashes. The Church too had been strangely silent on this continuing yet preventable mass disaster, that brought premature deaths and untold suffering to families and communities worldwide.

Here is a message from the Remembrance Day in 2001:

"This Sunday is the World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims. I invoke the compassion of the Lord for all those who have tragically lost their lives on the road. I ask God to support the injured, often suffering for life, as well as their families, who help them in their trials. I call once more on the motorists for carefulness and responsibility, so that all drivers will always respect others." Pope John Paul II - translation

Brigitte Chaudhry MBE, President of FEVR, said: "We are grateful to Pope John Paul II for his immediate positive response to the appeal by Prof Marcel Haegi, founder and first president of FEVR until his death last year, to raise the issue of road carnage onto the Church's agenda. This support played an important part in having our Remembrance Day observed in more countries and on more continents every year. He would be pleased to know that this Day is now also supported by the WHO and UN."

Press Release

10 November 2008

‘How a country responds to road death and injury indicates

the importance it accords road safety’

Road crashes are the leading cause of violent deaths and injuries worldwide and the World Day of Remembrance is drawing attention to their enormous scale: 1.3 million deaths a year – a 9/11 every day!

So each year, millions of newly bereaved and injured people from every corner of the world, including Europe, are added to the many millions already suffering as the result of a road crash.

This special Remembrance Day responds to this major public health disaster by recognizing the loss and pain suffered by road crash victims and the impact on communities and countries.

Observed since 1993 by victim organizations under the umbrella of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), this Day was adopted in October 2005 by the United Nations as World Day of Remembrance and has become an important day, not only for bereaved and injured victims, but many others who work to prevent crashes or who deal with their aftermath.

Since that occasion, the number of countries joining in the observance of the World Day is growing with every year. This year, events are already known to be held in the following countries: Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Mexico, The Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Uganda, UK and USA.

Events are listed on a new website: www.worlddayofremembrance.org

Brigitte Chaudhry, President of FEVR, said:

“All continents, including Europe, face the challenge of how to stop the all too many road deaths and injuries. The World Day of Remembrance offers an ideal opportunity for drawing attention to the urgency of the task and finding solutions, which must include a better post- crash response.”

“Wolfgang Blindenbacher, President of TISPOL, said: Our main priority is to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on Europe’s roads because there is far too much suffering involved.”

2009

From global remembrance to global action

A quote from Tispol President Javier Sanchez Ferragut;

"TISPOL supports the World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims. For so many people, they have experienced the grief and pain of losing a loved one as the result of a road crash. In Europe last year, 39000 families and friends suffered the loss of a loved one - a son, daughter, mother, father or friend."

"TISPOL is committed to doing everything possible to reduce the number of people being killed and seriously injured on Europe's roads. We want to avoid other families having to experience the tragedy of losing a loved one through a road crash. I call upon everyone to take a personal responsibility when using the road and to exercise care and to obey the traffic rules at all times. By doing so, we can all work together to make Europe's roads safer for everyone."

Road crashes are the leading cause of violent deaths and injuries worldwide and during the third week of November, attention will focus on the urgent need to address this public health and development issue: the World Day of Remembrance is calling for global action, while the first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, which takes place on 19-20 November in Moscow will debate road safety plans for the next decade 2010 – 2020: a Decade of Action!

By drawing attention to the devastation caused by sudden bereavement and injury through a road crash and the high cost to families, communities and countries, the World Remembrance Day fulfils an important role, not only through offering acknowledgement of the suffering of road crash victims, but also by supporting at the same time the planned global actions.

This important role is now recognized by NGOs and local and national authorities alike, shown by the number and variety of events and actions already known to take place this year – in almost every country in Europe, in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, India, Argentina, Mexico and many African countries. Events are listed on a dedicated website: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Dr Etienne Krug's message on behalf of WHO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE-HQIkt7To&ab_channel=WorldDayofRemembrance

Press Release

The themes for 2010

From global remembrance to global action

Remembering lives lost and broken; do not forget the injured!

Brigitte Chaudhry, President of FEVR, said:
"The start of a new decade brings into action all those concerned about danger on the world's roads. At the Moscow conference, politicians and health and transport professionals will pledge actions aimed at reversing the predicted global road casualty toll, while NGOs advocating for road victims and road safety are campaigning in particular for the post-crash areas to be included in countries' road safety strategies.”

NGO Brussels Declaration

In May 2009, more than 100 representatives of 70 NGOs from 40 countries came together for the first time in Brussels at a meeting hosted by the World Health Organisation. Using their unique expertise and perspective, participants compiled 33 recommendations to improve road safety and road victim treatment.

NGOs advocating for road victims and safer roads signed the ‘NGO Brussels Declaration’ for the launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety.

More info:

https://wdor-archive.com/worldwide-actions/global-initiatives/brussels-declaration/

and

2010

Remembering lives lost and broken; do not forget the injured!

Road crashes, the leading cause of violent deaths and injuries worldwide, have in the past year received serious attention: a first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety was held in Moscow on 19-20 November 2009, debating road safety plans for the next decade 2010 – 2020 - a Decade of Action for Road Safety! In March 2010, a UN resolution proclaimed this Decade.

Adopted by a previous UN resolution, of 26 October 2005, the World Day of Remembrance fulfils an important role, not only through offering acknowledgement of their suffering to road crash victims, but also by drawing attention to the devastation and high cost to families, communities and countries. It therefore also supports the planned global actions and its observance is indeed listed as a key milestone for marking progress during that Decade.

On World Day this year again, a great number and variety of events and actions will take place in numerous countries on every continent, some already listed on the dedicated website, with others to follow.

Dr Etienne Krug sent a message on behalf of the World Health Organisation:

https://wdor-archive.com/about/messages-thoughts/representatives-of-key-global-institutions/

The following is a quote from the message of Jeannot Mersch, the new President of FEVR:

FEVR and its member organisations continue to campaign for a reduction of the danger on the roads during the next decade, leading therefore we hope to a reduction in the number of broken lives - in our countries, throughout Europe and in the whole world.

Statements were also issued by the Director of the European Transport Safety Council, ETSC, Antonio Avenoso:

ETSC is observing on November 21st 2010 the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims to draw attention to the sadly large annual numbers of people killed and injured on the road. Complacency about road death and injury needs to be shaken up and efforts reinvigorated in order to end this carnage.

and the new president of TISPOL, the European Traffic Police, Roar Skjelbred Larsen:

TISPOL fully supports this year's World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims. Far too many people have experienced the grief and pain of losing a loved one as the result of a road crash: in Europe last year, 35,000 families and friends suffered the loss of a loved one - a son, daughter, mother, father or friend.

TISPOL is fully committed to working with all European road safety stakeholders to achieve the 2020 target and our main priority is, and always will be, reducing the number of people being killed on Europe's roads. We want to avoid other families having to experience the tragedy of losing a loved one through a road crash. I call upon everyone to take a personal responsibility when using the road and to exercise care and to obey the traffic rules at all times. By doing so, we can together make Europe's roads safer for everyone.

The common slogans proposed for the “Decade of Action 2011-2020 are:

From global Remembrance to Global Action

Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!
with a main theme chosen annually (based on the Pillars of the Global Plan) until 2020

             2011-2020

        This year’s theme is “Remembering Lives lost and broken”

Press Release20 November 2011

official theme for 2011

From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade

Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!

FEVR’s additional theme: United to improve crash prevention, investigation and victim services

This year’s theme has been chosen to remind all those who are not yet aware of the fact that on 11^th May 2011 the first ever Decade of Action for Road Safety was launched – declared in early 2010 and promoted by the United Nations as an opportunity for global action to reduce the global road casualty toll.

UN Secretary General Mr Ban ki Moon asked governments to prepare national plans at the outset of the Decade. The UN Road Safety Collaboration, made up of international organizations, governments, nongovernmental organizations (FEVR among them), foundations and private sector bodies, has produced a Global Plan for the Decade of Action – to serve as a guiding document for activities throughout the globe, according to five pillars: RS management, Safer roads & mobility, Safer vehicles, Safer road users.and Post crash response.

It is the fifth Pillar – Post crash response – which is of particular importance to FEVR and its member organizations, i.e. crash investigation, criminal and civil justice and medical and social care for victims. Our slogan is therefore a very apt reminder for the World Day - that in order to prevent further crashes, those that have not been prevented must be treated with the utmost seriousness, so as to acknowledge the loss and suffering of bereaved families, and injured victims and their families.

Dr Etienne Krug of WHO, Chair of the UN Road Safety Collaboration, has issued a message, in six world languages.

Antonio Avenoso, ETSC Director, sent the following message: “We call on the European Institutions to view the 2011 Day of Remembrance as an opportunity to take action to reduce the number of people killed and injured on the road. Today we remember those who suffered while exercising one of their rights, the right to mobility and travel. But we must not stop there; today we should also remember that many of the people killed on the roads could have been with us today if only some simple, proven methods to improve road safety had been implemented. We urge Europe to take the lead in promoting road safety world-wide and hope that the adoption of the Vision-Zero in the 2011 White Paper on Transport will mean that by 2050 there will be no more casualties to mourn on November 21^st”.

The new TISPOL (European Traffic Police) president, Pasi Kemppainen, said: TISPOL fully supports this year's World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims. Every time someone dies in a road crash, many people experience unimaginable pain and grief - not only members of the immediate family, but also by a much wider network of friends, acquaintances and associates. Life changes forever: it is in every sense a catastrophe.  In Europe last year, more than 30,000 families suffered the loss of a loved one. TISPOL is committed to working tirelessly to reduce this number and to make European roads much safer.

Jeannot Mersch, FEVR President, said:
This year we are proud to announce that also the European Parliament has included in their resolution of 27 September 2011 on European road safety 2011-2020 a call to the Commission and Member States to officially recognize the third Sunday in November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in order to raise public awareness of this issue. Many thanks to all the Members of Parliament who voted in favour of this topic presented by Luxemburg’s MEP Georges Bach. We thus hope to see “our” day gaining recognition in all the EU member countries by 2020. To see that this is achieved is one of FEVR’s aims in our plans for the Decade of Action.

Global observance highlights global scale and impact

World Day observance has already spread to all continents, where it is extending to more countries with every year. This Day is significant for the bereaved and injured as well as all those whose work involves crash prevention or response to the aftermath: it offers the opportunity to highlight the huge scale and impact of road deaths and injuries and for taking action to stop the carnage.

Please join in the observance of World Day!

2012

Now is the time to learn from the past  Pillar 1

With over 3,500 people killed and more than 150,000 injured every day on the world’s roads, road death and injury represents a global disaster, which is however not receiving the serious attention warranted by its scale and cruel nature, hence the figures are predicted to grow further.

About the author & editor of the World Day website: Brigitte Chaudhry

Brigitte explained how the World Day came about: “I was very impressed with the UK’s nationwide observance - on the 2nd Sunday of November - of the Remembrance Day for all those killed and injured in wars and thought that having a Remembrance Day for people killed and injured in the ‘war on the roads’ the following Sunday would be very appropriate, especially as November is the month of remembrance.

I suggested the idea to my colleagues at the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), who were immediately enthusiastic about having a common Remembrance Day, the timing however was only agreed after some debates. We began to hold a variety of events – besides conferences, vigils and concerts also church services, because the FEVR survey we conducted at the time revealed road victims’ deep disappointment with lack of empathy by their churches and most other agencies: the aim was to achieve appreciation of the profound impact of road death and injury by all who come into contact with road traffic victims and by society - to help tackle this preventable social problem.”

In 2004, Brigitte, who is a bereaved mother and the founder and president of the UK charity for road traffic victims RoadPeace, became FEVR’s president– precisely at the time when the UN elected the World Health Organization to become Coordinator for addressing the ‘Global Road Safety Crisis’. She represented FEVR on the newly established UN Road Safety Collaboration Forum (UNRSC) from 2004 to 2010.

One of the products of the UNRSC was to be a common global day on which the scale and impact of road casualties would be highlighted. Brigitte explained that such a day was already in existence, observed by FEVR member organizations for the past decade first as European Remembrance Day and from 2002 as World Day of Remembrance.

A UN Resolution calling for Member states to observe such a global day on the 3rd Sunday of November each year was adopted on 26th October 2005. Brigitte then became the co-author of the Guide for Organizers, published by the World Health Organization in 2006. After that she began to develop the first World Day website, launched on 26th October 2008. As FEVR President until October 2010 and since then as FEVR’s Coordinator with other NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations), Brigitte has been in contact with Road Safety and Victim Advocacy NGOs from all around the world.

The growing popularity of the World Day and increased material necessitated a new and bigger website. I know that Brigitte donated many hundreds of hours to prepare the site for re-launch on 26th October 2012, and that she will continue to volunteer much time needed as its Editor.

We at FEVR are particularly happy about the World Day spreading to all the countries of the world and are proud to have played an important part in its establishment, on behalf of all bereaved and injured road traffic victims whose interests FEVR represents. FEVR continues to remind everyone that World Day remembrance must also include the severely injured and their families, besides those who are killed in road traffic crashes. 
Jeannot Mersch FEVR president Nov.2012

Everyone can be affected by road trauma.

Need for remembrance and public recognition

People bereaved and injured through a road crash need - like other victims of violence and trauma - public acknowledgement of their loss and suffering, which the observance of this World Remembrance Day offers.

https://www.emro.who.int/media/news/world-day-of-remembrance-for-road-traffic-victims-2012.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6145a8.htm

Events

Services, concerts, conferences, marches and many other events will again mark the Day worldwide, when millions of people who lost their lives on the road will be remembered and the devastation caused to families and communities highlighted. The emergency services and others affected or involved in the aftermath of these tragedies will also be remembered.

RoadPeace welcomes the Vatican's publication of Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road (news).

The road is the most likely place where people are responsible for the deaths to others (see note below).

The "Ten Commandments for Motorists" include: 1. You shall not kill. 2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm. 3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforseen events. 4. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents. 5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. 6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to driver when they are not in a fitting condition to do so. 7. Support the families of accident victims. 8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness. 9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party. 10. Feel responsible towards others.

Note. In 2005 road crashes (1.31m) accounted for twice as many deaths as does (other forms of) violence (593k)and over seven times as many deaths as caused by war (184k), (WHO, 2006)

Member of the European Parliament, Georges Bach, has sent a message:
“The shadows of the past can be very dark and painful for the families and friends of the numerous road traffic victims. Remembrance of loved ones is essential to avoid that they disappear in those shadows. To recognize this remembrance on a world level helps raise awareness of road danger and avoids that traffic crashes and their painful consequences become routine.

As a Member of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, I did my best to convince my EU colleagues to recognise the World Day, therefore I am very glad that this idea was integrated into the Parliament’s resolution on European road safety 2011-2020 on 27 September 2011. We will actively continue our work for better road, infrastructure and vehicle safety, and a reduction of key risk factors, such as drink driving and speeding, in order to avoid as many traffic victims as possible in future.”

The Chair of UNECE WP1 Luciana Iorio, sent this message:“Everyone involved in Road Safety knows the task and burden that comes with it, the knowledge, the expertise, the spirit required to make the efforts pay off in valuable result. As chairperson of UNECE Road Safety Forum, I am grateful to FEVR for pointing out that wherever there is a cross or a wreath along the world’s roads, it means that our efforts, despite hard work, were not good enough, that more could have been done.

Road Traffic victims deserve to be remembered and honored: they were known children, our biker colleague, the next-door old chap. It was my grandmother killed on a pedestrian crossing. Their absence has taken away irreplaceable joy, leaving instead never ending grief hanging over the families. That grief turns into our duty - the responsibility we all bear - a common call to roll up our sleeves and build up results.

This is the real gist of this Remembrance Day - It is a day of memory and mourning, as well as commitment at all levels. Among our fondest thoughts for lost loved ones there should be also a firm intent to make mobility safer.

The international community and international organizations are the front line actors in this mission, which goes beyond deploying the best measures and policies. We all should not aim for the best results, but for the only result: zero casualties! “

Brian Simpson, president of the Transport Committee, European Parliament:"Although great efforts have been made in recent years to improve Road Safety, the fact is that next year thousands will lose their lives on Europe's roads and many more will be injured. It is right that we remember all those who have sadly died or have been seriously injured, and the families of the victims who are left shattered by this event. We must all do our utmost to highlight this unacceptable level of carnage and do all in our power to reduce road crashes and save lives."

Jeannot Mersch, the President of FEVR, is sending the following message:

“This year again around the 3rd Sunday in November, we feel this wonderful worldwide solidarity for our common action of remembering road traffic victims - those who died, who suffer lifelong injury, their families and friends, and all who come to their rescue.

This Day is for us again a big opportunity to raise awareness of the needs of road victims and express our passionate wish to reduce road traffic casualties in numbers and severity in our countries, in Europe and also throughout the whole world.

FEVR being just 20 years “old” learned so well from the past that many small steps can result finally in a bigger move forward, towards the much needed improvement of the situation of victims. The many remaining problems, that we all know so well, should help keep us moving many more steps further, all together united and “infected” by this noble cause.”

31st October 2012 Press Release

World Day website is re-launched on 26th October 2012

The website dedicated to the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims - www.worlddayofremembrance.org – was re-launched on 26th October 2012, four years after its first launch on the same date, chosen to coincide with the UN recognition of this special Day on 26th October 2005.

The objective of this designated website is to provide inspiration and help to people who wish to participate in observing the World Day of Remembrance and organize ceremonies, events and displays, etc. in their communities and countries.

The newly re-designed website will represent an extensive archive of photographs and accounts of events held all around the world, and of publications and other promotional materials. It will reflect the annually increasing global observance of the World Day.

Many examples shown demonstrate a great deal of creativity and resourcefulness. New items will continuously be added and material from earlier years will be added gradually.

The introductory page – “Why World Day of Remembrance?” is offered in 18 languages so far, other materials are presented in the languages in which they are supplied.

The website invites participation in various global initiatives: • Light of Hope Initiative (burning of lights and illumination of civic buildings) • Coalition against Road Trauma (with involvement of the health sector) • Call for Official Recognition and National Memorials in every country • Day of Peace on World Day = a day without road crashes These will make the World Day more widely known as well as link countries through sharing common objectives and the common remembrance of ‘lives lost and broken’.

Organizers of World Day 2012 events are invited to send their information as soon as this is available for inclusion on the World Day website.

To be sent via the World Day website

World Day website

FEVR will continue to be responsible for this website – maintenance, uploading, further development, etc.

Funding for the World Day website and World Day publicity

Work on the website is largely free, provided by the FEVR website team, but funding is needed for hosting, maintenance and other related costs, also for publicising the World Day through international media channels to make it much more widely known.

Planned World Day events and global initiatives

This information to be provided by NGOs via the Submission Form on the WDR website, as early as the information is available.

Publicising the World Day and this year’s 20^th and 10^th anniversaries

Since our World Day is such an excellent opportunity for all those working for road danger reduction and post- crash response to publicise their own work, it is vital that this Day becomes known as widely as possible among those stakeholders, so that they can use it.

This year’s special anniversaries will provide an extra hook for this publicity.

PRESS RELEASE: XXX road victims in this year alone |PLEASE PUT REGIONAL FIGURES|, and |COUNTRY| counted several direct victims and countless lives forever affected by this reality.

With over 1.2 million people killed each year, road crashes are one of the three leading causes of death. Over 3400 men, women and children are killed every single day on the world’s roads while walking, cycling, or driving. Most are between 5 and 44 years of age. Another 20–50 million others are injured each year.

For the 21^st time since 1993, the Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims will be remembered at a global level, and have reached the 10^th Anniversary since being recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2005, and supported by the World Health Organization.

For years this Remembrance Day was mainly observed in Europe but as it is now listed as an international activity during the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety celebrations are held on every continent, in particular in those fast developing countries that today bear the bulk of road deaths and injuries.

https://www.who.int/groups/united-nations-road-safety-collaboration/decade-of-action-for-road-safety-2011-2020#:~:text=The%20Decade%20of%20Action%20for,behaviour%20of%20road%20users%3B%20and

This year’s theme

“Speed Kills, Design Out Speeding”

This years’ theme relates to the call in Pillar 3 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Safer Vehicles. The 3^rd of 5 Pillars calls for vehicles with improved vehicle safety & crash avoidance technologies and with high levels of occupant and vulnerable road user protection; for consumer information about safety performance of motor vehicles and minimum crash test standards, the crucial seat belt usage, among others.

Excessive speed is a key contributory cause of road deaths and injuries, hence technologies that design out speeding would potentially provide the safest vehicles – both to people outside and occupants.

Press Release 8th November 2015

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2015 Sunday, 15th November 2015 Again, as in previous years, a further million killed on the world’s roads will be remembered by their families and friends on this year’s World Day, together with many millions injured. This Day will also again be observed throughout the world by relevant NGOs, government departments, agencies and public bodies, as well as institutions and companies.

We celebrate two major anniversaries this year On Sunday, 15th November, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the World Day being observed internationally and the 10th anniversary since its recognition by the United Nations - two major anniversaries! During those many years, hundreds of commemorative events had taken place and many millions of road victims have been added to the millions already being remembered.

Why is this year’s theme “Time to Remember – say NO to road crime!”? “Time for Results” is the slogan for the 2nd Global High-Level Conference in Brasilia, taking place on 18-19 November - just 3 days after the World Day. “Time to Remember” echoes the slogan of that notable event, while “say NO to road crime!” relates to road user behaviour via the call in Pillar 4 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action, namely for Safer road users. The term crime indicates that road law infringements are serious and must be taken seriously by everyone.

The role of the World Day The World Day of Remembrance (WDR) exists to create a global culture of proper road safety. Celebrating the memory of those friends and relatives who died or were seriously injured on the world's roads sets a collective right to demand responsibility from all road users. It also establishes the right to demand from governments - besides prevention programmes and initiatives - a serious post-crash response that includes thorough investigations, criminal and civil justice and medical (physical & psychological) and social care.

The European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) campaigns for crash victims In their response to the EU Victims of Crime Consultation, the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), who were at the origin of the World Day of Remembrance*, said: “Just like the victims of other crimes, road crash victims who have been injured or had a family member killed as the result of someone’s law–breaking deserve recognition, support, justice and compensation for their losses. They should be regarded as victims of crime in our societies…an appropriate post-crash response, which includes recognition, support and justice is vital, together with ambitious targets, for reducing the huge toll of road deaths and injuries….and thus for the achievement of the set targets.”

This EU Directive, which promises to ensure that all crime victims will have better rights, support and protection, is due to be adopted by all EU member countries by 16th November – one day after World Day – a fitting measure to mark the Day’s 20th anniversary.

FEVR President and several FEVR member representatives will attend the 2nd Global High-level Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia on 18-19 November They will attend the conference and also be speakers on the topic of Justice for road victims at a post-crash side-event, prepared by them and for which FEVR’s Justice Lead wrote a document on the important role of justice in achieving the Decade of Action’s goals.

FEVR’s significant work for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – on behalf of all road victims worldwide - is being recognized. On 17th November 2015 – just 2 days after this year’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) and on the eve of the 2nd Global High-level Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia – FEVR is to receive an esteemed Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its part in the creation, development and promotion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims over the past two decades, also for creating and maintaining the dedicated website for the World Day: http://worlddayofremembrance.org/, designed to be an archive of annual worldwide commemorations and a source of help and inspiration for all organizers of World Day events.

FEVR president, Jeannot Mersch, said: “This year’s 20th anniversary of the World Day is for me the opportunity to pay a huge tribute to Brigitte Chaudhry, former FEVR president and initiator of WD more than 2 decades ago. Without Brigitte there would be probably no WDR, at least not in such a huge global dimension. Thank you so much Brigitte, I believe I can say this in the name of all the victims – the seriously injured and those who never came back home to their families and friends.”

Press Release World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Sunday, 20th November 2016

This year again a further million people were killed on the world’s roads, with many millions injured. They and all the millions before them will be remembered by their families and friends on our World Day - a Day now observed throughout the world by relevant NGOs, government departments, agencies and public bodies, as well as institutions and companies

Theme for WDR 2016: 
From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade Vital post-crash actions: Medical Care, Investigation, Justice! Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!

The main theme - Vital post-crash actions: Medical Care, Investigation, Justice! - is based on Pillar 5 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action - Post Crash Response, which, among others, calls for improvements in health care systems, thorough crash investigations and ‘an effective legal response to road deaths and injuries’ and thus justice for the bereaved and injured. These post-crash areas are an important part of road safety, they are inter-dependent with prevention work, yet are absent from road safety strategies in almost all countries.

The role of the World Day The World Day of Remembrance exists to create a global culture of proper road safety. Celebrating the memory of relatives and friends who were killed or seriously injured on the world's roads creates a collective right to demand responsibility from all road users. It also establishes the right to demand from governments - besides prevention programmes and initiatives - a serious post-crash response that includes the above areas. Organisations who have practical experience of supporting road crash victims, such as those under the umbrella of FEVR, are also campaigning for justice for victims, based on that experience.

The European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) campaigns for crash victims: - for Medical Care (physical and psychological) to national standards, to include immediate diagnosis by specialists and increased rehabilitation and trauma services - for Road Crash Investigations to national standards, to include treating the scene of a road death or injury as a homicide/crime scene and mandatory alcohol/drug tests - for Criminal Justice – for road death and injury no longer to be regarded as a minor traffic offence, but to have parity with other deaths/injuries through negligence - for Civil Justice – for proceedings to bring fairness and justice to victims

Testimonies from victims provide valuable information relevant to this year's theme: “There were two witnesses who were never called…the police did not investigate even though a clear description of the driver was given…” “The process of obtaining compensation took nearly three years of misery….” “I was completely ignored by the justice system and was deeply shocked by the insulting treatment of the death of my dear husband…” “After the death of his sister, my son was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and has suffered with severe depression, he has found it particularly difficult to come to terms with the great sense of injustice….”

In their response to the EU Victims of Crime Consultation in 2013, the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), who were at the origin of the World Day of Remembrance*, said: “…an appropriate post-crash response, which includes recognition, support and justice is vital, together with ambitious targets, for reducing the huge toll of road deaths and injuries….and thus for the achievement of the set targets.”

Jeannot Mersch, President of FEVR, said: Road traffic casualties - fatalities and injuries - represent an enormous health problem. As the seriously injured road victims were often forgotten in the past, we are pleased that they are now mentioned in most documents relating to our World Day of Remembrance. The joint video message by the 2 EU Commissioners’ for Transport & Health is another example that responsibilities have to be shared. Another important action in this respect is also the survey "MyLac" (My Live after the crash), conducted by the Belgian Road Safety Institute in partnership with FEVR. The results are being published on November 20, to mark World Day 2016

Brigitte Chaudhry, Editor of the WDR website, said: “The fact that the Global Decade Plan includes actions relating to investigation and justice issues, not only medical care, is of great importance to a huge number of advocacy NGOs. It was included thanks to the efforts of road victim representatives on the UNRSC Forum. Road victim NGOs greatly welcome the growing understanding of the role of the post-crash areas in road casualty prevention and we offer our collaboration and specialist experience”.

Further Information • 
The United Nations marks the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in 2016 with a half-hour Documentary: “Road Safety – Global Killer”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRQYbgOTHyQ

Feel free to download the Poster either as full English version or as “No Wording” Version to share on your social media and add the title, slogan and date in your preferred translation from: 
http://fevr.org/wdor2017-poster-available/
 Should u need a higher resolution (ps. or ai.) please write to Kaja info@wdor.org and you’ll get the link or sent through wetransfer. 
For any question come back to me or kaja.kobal@fevr.org president@fevr.org
 Please support and share also the official WDR symbol, the black ribbon and widely use #WDoR2017 for all your social media posts.
 We also kindly ask you to leave both the FEVR and FIA Foundation Logos besides putting your own Logo(s) and report back with pictures and Info about your 2017 activities, write to info@wdor.org so that we can put a link/share on our media.
 We wish all of u you a successful World Day 2017
 Jeannot Mersch & Kaja Kobal WDoR2017 coordinaton

Every year the posters were translated in several languages and offered for free

FEVR was in Ljubljana to celebrate together with their member Zavod Varna Pot

Jeannot Mersch had dedicated the Hymn: Missing to FEVR & all Road Victims
Yukio Oguri had also composed music dedicated to World Day.
Charles Timberlake had composed The Long Adieu

In 2017 iRAP launched a video/ song One by One

18th November 2018

The World Day has a long history. Mrs. Brigitte Chaudhry, European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR)’s former president and founder of Road Peace, a UK based victim charity, had started the World Day in 1993. From 1995, road victim organisations observed this Day together – first as European Day of Remembrance, but soon as World Day when NGOs from Africa, South America and Asia joined. In 2000, the Pope and other religious leaders remembered road victims worldwide on the 3rd Sunday of November, calling it ‘World Day’. On 26th October 2005 – the World Day was adopted by the UN General Assembly as “the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”.

On 18th November 2018 we will commemorate WDoR’s 25th anniversary. FEVR as owner of the official web page and social media accounts is proud to announce this year global slogan “Roads have stories”, related to the 2nd Pillar of the UN decade of Action, safer roads and mobility. Roads and streets are more than connections from point A to point B. They tell stories, some of them tragic which are worth remembering. Raising the inherent safety and protective quality of road networks for the benefit of all road users is one of our main goals. We provide many materials to promote our global campaign. On our page www.wdor.org could be found more information and could be requested official WDoR’s materials like logos, posters, videos, music etc. also could be submitted events from government and non government organizations and natural persons.

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. 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 is very important to us during this year’s commemorating to recognize you as one of the millions people all over the world who join to remember the many millions killed and injured on the roads, together with their families, friends and many others who are also affected.

The Municipality of Barcelona and Pat A PAT in collaboration with FEVR had organised an event in the Barcelona Conservatory

Another Official Event in Malta                        

Declaration for WDOR2018:

Joined with all countries in the world on the 18th, the third Sunday in November, we commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. In 1993, at the initiative of Brigitte Chaudhry, founder of Road Peace, this celebration started in the UK and quickly spread to other victims' organizations under the auspices of the FEVR. In their countries these associations represent the voices of victims and work to reduce the risk on public roads and improve the conditions and rights of victims and their families.

In October 2005, the UN officially declared the third Sunday of November the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, since then more and more national and international institutions support this day and they are taking the aim of "vision Zero", that means no more victims in traffic mobility. However, every day there are still people and families who suffer the consequences of traffic crashes and all need a greater recognition of the enormous suffering.

During the last 25 years more than 30.000.000 of people have died and over 300.000.000 were injured. (according to estimates by the European Commission for each deceased person have been 4 people with brain or spinal cord injuries, 8 people with serious injuries and 50 people with several injuries. - Member States should adapt `Vision Zero’ for all road users since each road death and injury is much more than just a number. These are real people and family tragedies. - Don’t call these deaths or serious injuries accidents: Crash not Accident Let’s honour on this day a memory for the victims and families suffering and commit ourselves to not allow this to further continue to occur.

Thanks to:

Brigitte Chaudhry, who from 1993 to 2017 was the driving force behind the World Day

Simona Murialdo for designing the Logo and many Posters for free

Lucy Pepper & Manuel Ramos from Portugal for the first common videos (2011-2013)

Muge Bakir & Denis Erdogan for being part of the World Day team from 2014 to 2016
Kaja Kobal and Banita Fidyova as team from 2017-2020
Manuel Ramos and Yolanda Domenech for their lead.

Mapfre Foundation and FIA Foundation for their financial support

Thanks also to Victim Associations, including IRVA, for the contribution of photographs for the Wall of Remembrance

2018 Year of Change

As Brigitte wished to step down as responsible lead person of the WDR, FEVR board members discussed how we should continue.

Either “outsourcing” World Day or continuing with a new structure?

Advisory Council

An Advisory board was set up in 2017 with members from the different continents with the objectives:

1. To collaborate and share knowledge & experience with respect to the important role of the World Day of Remembrance for road safety and care of road victims on all continents. 
2. To ensure the strongest possible voice and firm & stable progress in those areas - through a united global message based on the annual themes and related publicity materials. 
3. To ensure maximum dissemination with the help of: • all media • targeted events • high visibility actions and ceremonies • specific campaigns and initiatives
 4. To provide a safe & constant point of contact for actors on all continents
 5. To ensure the widest possible knowledge of and participation & engagement in World Day commemorations on every continent!

It was decided in a board meeting and proposed to the FEVR General Assembly that we should set up an Advisory Council with members from every continent, with FEVR chairing & coordinating this Advisory Council. FEVR would also continue to be responsible for proposing and agreeing with partner organisations the annual theme, continue to be responsible for the maintenance and development of the official World Day website and for the WD social media sites.

The slogan was “Life is not a car part”

FEVR had organized an event in Brussels with the support of the European Commission and WHO Europe

FEVR President with MEP Tilly Metz, thanks Banita Fidyova for moderating the event

Presentation of the European Monument for Road Traffic Victims to be built in Brussels

Press Release

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2019

Despite all efforts over the past 10 years to reduce the global road casualty toll, this year again (!) over one million people were killed on the world’s roads and countless more injured. They and all the millions before them will be remembered by their families and friends on World Day - a Day now observed throughout the world by relevant NGOs, government departments, agencies and public bodies, as well as institutions and companies. The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, which is ending in early 2020, has sadly not managed to lessen the toll, on the contrary – road danger has now become the number one killer of 5 – 29 year olds according to WHO’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018*. This is a text placeholder - click this text to edit.

Theme for WDR 2019: From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade Life is not a car part Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!

The main theme - Life is not a car part - is based on Pillar 3 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action – Safer Vehicles - which, among others, calls for improved and wide uptake of vehicle safety technologies and high levels of road user protection both in and outside cars. Life is not a car part also wants to convey the message, that real lives are affected by both road danger from vehicles and the pollution they cause – the latter a danger to life hardly ever considered despite its seriousness, evident in “Tsunami on roads – Wake up India”**

Jeannot Mersch, FEVR president: “As the World Day of Remembrance is a Day to honour road victims – a Road Victims’ Day – road victims are and should always remain the decision makers and main actors of this Day’s celebration and focus, in positive and fair collaboration with all other road safety stakeholders around the world”.

Brigitte Chaudhry, past FEVR president and World Day champion from its origin: “We, road victim advocates, cannot accept that our passionate and dedicated work over many decades, towards ending the needless killing and maiming on the world’s roads, has not even resulted in a reduction during the Decade of Action 2011-2020! Most of our recommendations in the Brussels NGO Declaration*** for that Decade have yet to be acted upon and NGOs are urged to demand that this will happen during the next Decade 2010-2030. We need to become even stronger and make it clear to all stakeholders that the only acceptable target to road victim NGOs is NO road deaths – Let´s start Vision Zero In Cities by 2030!

2020

FEVR had co-organised an event together with its new Polish member organization Przejście in Zabawa where an exhibition with the decade Posters was opened and an online event with a lot of testimonies and ceremonies was organised

It is 25 years ago this year since a day dedicated to remembering road traffic victims began to be observed internationally – for the first ten years by the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) and its many member organizations, including RoadPeace (UK), who introduced the day in 1995. With strong support from WHO and UNRSC members, UN Member States adopted UN General Assembly Resolution 60/5 on 26th October 2005, calling for an annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims as an “appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”.

The slogan agreed with the UNRSC and the different actors was: Remember, Support, Act
Because of the Covid Pandemic a lot of events could not be held in person or only under restricted conditions. So many events took place online.

WDoR Foundation

The reason for registering the World Day of Remembrance as a Foundation was to make the World Day officially an independent entity, not attached to or associated with any organisation, but a stand-alone body serving all road crash victims and all organisations working for them worldwide

WDoR2022 Statistics

Many thanks to Banita Fidyova and the WD team

The Statistics as Flipbook

The year 2023 is the 30th anniversary of the very beginning of the World Day, as is described earlier.

1993-2023

Posters offered by FEVR and IRVP

FEVR had developped a campaign for WDoR2023: "Living with the impact"

2023 events in Bogota, Creta and U.S.A. among so many others

ANNEXES

General Assembly Designates Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Invites States to Implement Measures to Improve Global Road Safety

NEW YORK, 26 October (UN Headquarters) -- The third Sunday of November would be the annual day of remembrance for victims of road traffic accidents and their families, the Assembly decided this morning by adopting a resolution, without a vote, on improving global road safety.The Assembly was of the view that designation of a special day was the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families.  In adopting the resolution, the Assembly also invited States to implement recommendations in the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), and to establish national lead agencies on road safety, along with action plans to reduce road traffic injuries.

Introducing the text, Oman's representative said roadway accidents were a crisis in the making.  Some 1.2 million people died and another 20 to 50 million were injured each year in traffic accidents, growing at a rate the WHO predicted would outstrip HIV/AIDS-related deaths by 2020.  He called for assistance to States in building the capacity to manage road safety systems, as well as for States to pass legislation making vehicles, roadways and drivers safer.

Australia's representative said his country's road toll had been reduced to one third the level it had been in the 1960s through a strategic approach based on principles in the World Report.  Challenging and measurable targets had been set, outcomes monitored, action plans developed and cooperation across sectors encouraged.  Factors in the success were mandatory seat belt requirements, enforcement of drunk driving laws and media targeting. 

Pointing to speed as the number one killer in road traffic accidents, Singapore's representative said tough laws had been enacted to prosecute "speed demons" in his country.  Enforcement of the new law had caused anxiety at first, but with education the public had come to realize the objective was to save lives, particularly those of the vulnerable.

BOHUA XIE (China) said that road traffic deaths and injuries had serious economic and social impacts on all nations, and in particular developing countries.  Road accidents produced some $65 billion in losses annually in developing countries, twice the annual amount received in development assistance.  Reducing road traffic incidents was, therefore, important for poverty eradication, reduction of child mortality and sustainable development.  It was particularly at times when countries were developing their road transport that the highest rates of accidents occurred because road conditions, human behaviour and management had difficulty keeping up with rapid development.  But, countries had the know-how to prevent such accidents.  Therefore, it was necessary for countries to share their experiences and learn from each other's best practices.

It was also necessary for the international community to provide more assistance in funding, technology and training.  China, whose road system was rapidly developing because of its rapid economic development, had a particularly high accident rate.  But, it had taken steps to address the problem, including through the adoption of a Road Traffic Safety Act in 2004.  As a result, between 2003 and 2004 alone, traffic accidents were down nearly 15 per cent, fatalities were down almost 5 per cent and costs were down nearly 18 per cent.  China's road deaths fell to 9.2 per 1,000, for the first time dropping into the single digits.

DMITRY I. MAKSIMYCHEV (Russian Federation) said his country placed a great deal of importance on highway safety, and recognized that the United Nations should play a larger role in many facets of the problem.  It was necessary for countries to share their experiences in that area and, where necessary, provide technical, expert and financial support to address highway safety problems.  The Russian Federation agreed with the measures suggested to improve highway safety set forth by the United Nations.  The creation of a working group on road safety was a very timely step and the mandates it had set forth were commendable.  He awaited practical and concrete results from the group's work.  The World Health Organization should continue to play a coordinating role in road safety.  He also noted the significant role played by the European Union in that regard.

Granted that international cooperation played an important role in road safety, the responsibility for road safety lay ultimately with national and local authorities.  The Russian Federation was taking several steps in that regard, including by tightening up laws and enforcement.  It was also improving public transport to address the problem.  There had already been positive results.

There had been a 5.4 per cent reduction in fatal accidents in the first half of 2005 versus the same period in 2004, and there had been a significant reduction in accidents caused by drunk drivers.

ITTIPORN BOONPRACONG (Thailand) said his country was pleased that, since April 2004, considerable progress had been made in initiating international cooperation in addressing the problem of road safety.  In particular, he welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, which, among other things, had produced how-to manuals on the implementation of recommendations in the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention.  Thailand placed great importance on the issue of road safety, and traffic injury prevention was put on the national agenda in December 2003.  It was particularly concerned about traffic accidents involving young and drunk drivers.  To combat that problem, it had introduced a partial ban on alcohol advertising and had prohibited athletes and celebrities from doing alcohol advertising.

Thailand, concerned about the high level of traffic accidents during holiday periods, had also taken steps to reduce them, including publicizing the numbers of deaths during those periods.  Already, that strategy had produced results.  Continued national and local efforts, as well as greater efforts in the international community, were needed regarding road safety.  In particular, he urged countries to share their know-how on reducing traffic accidents.  Efforts by the World Bank and by private companies to provide financing to developing countries to improve their road safety were also welcome.

ISIKIA RABICI SAVUA (Fiji) said that, aside from the tragic loss of life and millions of injuries and disabilities caused by accidents on the world's roadways, overall, the global road safety crisis was costing States some $518 billion per year, with some $110 billion attributable to developing countries.  As for Fiji, casualties sustained in road traffic accidents had increased some nine per cent in the past year.  The WHO's World Report on the crisis had played a major role in the Government's effort to outline a relevant national prevention strategy and to put in place effective countermeasures.  Further, the Fiji Police Microcomputer Accident Analysis Report, funded by the Asian Development Bank, had been established in 1994 to help maintain proper records on traffic accidents.

He said that Fiji also had a programme in place to deal with related issues such as improving road design, construction and management, including rehabilitating and upgrading land use and road network planning.  Fiji considered such matters prerequisites to tackling its road safety issues.  It had also placed emphasis on safe driving, with improved testing and training, which focused on drivers as well as passengers.  Vehicle design, maintenance and operation were also considered a priority.  Traffic safety was also highlighted in driver's education classes in schools.

WEE KA SIONG (Malaysia) said his country welcomed the creation of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration and the efforts of a number of United Nations agencies to achieve road safety.  It was very disturbing that road traffic injuries continued to pose a major public health problem and was a leading cause of death, particularly in developing countries.  Grim statistics regarding the human toll road accidents took demanded the attention of the international community.  In addition to the human toll traffic accidents produced, there was a grave economic toll.  In 2004, traffic accidents had taken 6,000 lives in Malaysia and cost $1.5 billion due to loss of productivity, medical costs, management costs, property damage and other expenses.

Malaysia had placed road safety on its national agenda in 2004 and had created the Department of Road Safety.  In addition, Malaysia was an active participant in a number of regional and international efforts to improve road safety.  While he welcomed the World Health Organization's report to the General Assembly, he believed that the report's proposals and recommendations were not exhaustive, and encouraged Member States to continue to exchange ideas and experiences in road safety improvement.  He also appealed to the international community to provide financing so that countries in need could improve their infrastructures to enhance safety and to conduct public awareness campaigns.

ANDREW SOUTHCOTT (Australia) said road safety was a prominent focus of public policy at all levels of his Government.  At the national level, a strategic approach embraced many of the principles advocated in the World Report.  Those included setting challenging and measurable targets, monitoring outcomes, developing action plans, and encouraging cooperation across sectors.  Australia's road toll was now at one third of the level of the 1960s, which he attributed to mandatory seat belt requirements, enforcement of laws on driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and media messages delivered by health professionals during the holidays, among other measures. 

He said Australia's current goal was to reduce the per capita fatality rate by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2010.  The country had taken a broad-based approach, recognizing that substantial gains could only be achieved by addressing different parts of the road transport system.  The safety of the vehicle fleet was being improved, and safer road user behaviour was being encouraged through a combination of intensive enforcement, graduated licensing arrangements and public education campaigns.

He said Australia had made good progress in the first four years of its ten-year plan, with the national fatality rate having declined by 17 per cent between 2000 and 2004.  Maintaining that momentum was becoming increasingly difficult, though, and there were already signs of a need to examine new ideas and adopt better practices if the objectives set for 2010 were to be met.  Australia was keen to learn from the experiences of other countries, and encouraged others to take a similar view. 

HJÁLMAR W. HANNESSON (Iceland) said the seriousness of the issue was clear from the statistics.  The solution would largely involve persuading motorists to change their behaviour.  Unlike in many other countries, the large majority of road accident fatalities in Iceland did not occur in the city.  The accident rate in built-up areas had declined significantly over the years, and three fourths of fatal accidents now occurred in the countryside.  The Icelandic Ministry of Transport had developed a four-year road safety improvement strategy, which began last spring and employed a cost-benefit system to determine where improvements were most urgent. 

He said that Iceland had launched an initiative last summer to reduce speeding and improve seat belt use on out-of-town highways.  Police surveillance was doubled, and special cameras were installed in certain police vehicles.  Results from the initiative were positive, as average speed appeared to have dropped.  Iceland was now preparing a similar year-round campaign against driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.  A network of automatic speed cameras was also in the works, and would require both technical preparation and possibly new legislation.  Iceland would again be a sponsor of the resolution on road safety and encouraged other Member States to do the same.

MARCELO SUÁREZ SALVIA (Argentina) said statistics showed that road safety continued to be a genuine public health crisis, one that particularly affected the most vulnerable populations in developing countries.  Studies indicated that among the many factors affecting road safety, human, mechanical and infrastructure issues were the crucial ones.  Many sectors had an important role to play in preventing traffic accident deaths and injuries.  It was important to work together with civil society, the private sector and universities.  Funding to reduce traffic accident injuries was far from commensurate with the magnitude of the problem, and generally was insufficient to fund the necessary awareness campaigns and set up adequate methods to supervise, evaluate and monitor their results. 

He said that, under the Argentine Constitution, each province could promulgate its own traffic laws.  In order to avoid conflicting regulations, in 1995, the Argentine Congress passed a national traffic law, which allowed national authorities to exercise control over traffic matters, national routes, maintenance, control of concessions and weights.  To reach a solution to the road safety crisis, political will and commitment were essential.  The role of Member States was central to ensuring road safety. 

Day of Remembrance plans unveiled

RoadPeace, the UK charity dedicated to supporting road crash victims, has unveiled plans for the 2006 World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims, which will take place on Sunday 19 November in London and more than 30 other locations around the UK.

RoadPeace says the event, which was first introduced in 1993, 'responds to the need of road crash victims for public recognition, which is so readily given to victims of other types of disaster'. It also acknowledges the work of all those involved in the aftermath of a crash - fire, police, ambulance personnel, doctors, nurses and counsellors.

Services will be held across the UK in cathedrals and other places of worship of all denominations. Many schools and community groups will also mark the occasion. 

The London service will take place at St James' Church, Piccadilly, WC2, at 2.30pm on 19 November. In addition, the annual RoadPeace Concert, which will feature music and poetry performed by the WarmTouch Group, will take place on Friday 17 November at 7.30 pm at the Amadeus Centre, 50 Shirland Road, London  SW9. Funds raised from this concert will go towards the charity's helpline service.

For further information about all World Day of Remembrance events around the UK go to  www.roadpeace.org

Letters to political leaders

Mr Gordon Brown Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London SW1A 2AA

15 July 2008 Dear Mr Brown,

The carnage on the world’s roads deserves exemplary action by the British Government, to be demonstrated by their official recognition of the ‘World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’ – an act called for by the United Nations, who have recognised this Day in October 2005.

We are aware that compared with other countries in the world, fewer people are killed and injured on UK roads, and that the most recent casualty statistics have shown welcome reductions. But we are also aware that this declared ‘good road casualty record’ is achieved at the price of lack of mobility and choice for many road users. We also know that injury statistics are grossly under-reported.

As the UK’s sole charity whose aim is to represent the interests of road crash victims and to campaign on behalf of this huge group of traumatised people, we do not agree with politicians that the annual road casualty toll of 3,000 people killed and 250,000 injured each year is a cause for celebration, especially since most of those deaths and injuries could easily be prevented with greater political will and courage.

We believe that the responsible and moral position to take would be to declare any deaths on the road as unacceptable, similar to the stance taken on other homicides, where it would be unthinkable to have a 40% reduction target (for murder!), and to express regret that other countries suffer from an even greater burden of road casualties and the related impact on communities and country.

We also wish to remind you that only considering and publicising annual figures is very misleading, since the pain and effect of bereavement and injury do not disappear after a year. The truth is that each year, tens of thousands of people in profound distress are added to the huge number of people already affected from the carnage of previous years - the cumulative toll of people suffering as a result of a road crash is truly enormous.

Because of the profound suffering and lack of due recognition by society and authorities, road victim NGOs, led by RoadPeace and its sister organisations in Europe under the umbrella of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), have begun 15 years ago to observe a Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on every 3^rd Sunday of November.

The Federation’s UN consultative status has led to the UN adopting the Day as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on 26^th October 2005 - “as the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”. The UN also calls for recognition of this Day by all Member States.

The following WHO website link will give further info

We are urging you to respond to this call and be among the first governments to give official recognition to this important Remembrance Day; we believe that the US Congress has already given such recognition. A World Day website will list all countries responding to this UN call.

We are also asking for a message from the PM for this year’s World Day of Remembrance commemorations in the UK – this message will be read out at the many services taking place throughout the country, it will also be included on the World Day website.

We look forward to your positive response.

Yours sincerely,

Brigitte Chaudhry MBE

The EDM below regarding recognition of World Day has already been signed by many MPs

EDM 1769

WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS,

11.06.2008, Russell, Bob

That this House welcomes the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims held on the third Sunday of November each year; notes that this special Day was launched in 1993 by UK road victim charity RoadPeace and promoted by them nationally and internationally until it was adopted by the United Nations on 26th October 2005 `as the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families'; recognises that the loss of lives on the road and the suffering of bereaved and injured road crash victims deserves much greater recognition than has been provided until now; and calls on the Government to give official recognition to World Remembrance Day as a means of showing compassion and care to the millions of UK road crash victims highlighting the scale and impact of road deaths and injuries and the need to address road danger and its consequences with renewed urgency.

NEWS RELEASE

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

19 November 2010, Brussels - ETSC commemorates the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (1). On Sunday 21^st of November all those killed and injured in road crashes, their families and friends and all others affected or involved in the aftermath are being remembered. On this day ETSC wishes to state and confirm its commitment to work for the protection of life by making roads safer.

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started by RoadPeace (2) in 1993. Since then it has been observed and promoted worldwide by several NGOs, including the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) (3) and its associated organisations. On 26 October 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November, making it a major advocacy day for road traffic injury prevention. The WHO and the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration encourage governments and NGOs around the world to commemorate this day.

The day is an opportunity to highlight the huge scale of road deaths and injuries, their impact and cost. In Europe, despite the steady progress in reducing road deaths since the setting up of a target in 2001, the European Commission forecast foresees 33,000 deaths on the roads by the end of 2010 (4). Another 1,700,000 people are recorded as injured in police records each year and, among them 300,000 are seriously injured (5). Adding to this loss and suffering, a cost to society equal to 2% of the GDP for the whole of the EU results from road crashes.

Further, the sense of grief and distress is all the greater because many of the victims are young and because the response to road death and injury is often experienced as inadequate or inappropriate. Road traffic crashes are the 1st cause of death among 15-29 year olds, the 2^nd cause among 5-14 year olds, and the 3rd caused among 30-44 year olds (6). This day should be an opportunity for committing to take action. ETSC therefore stresses that if the EU is to be serious about reaching its 2020 target of halving road deaths, the recently published European Commission Road Safety Policy Orientations need to be reinforced and translated urgently into determined action.

At a global level the United Nations’ Secretary General reminds us that we mourn an estimated 1.3 million people annually (7). Many tragedies can be avoided through a set of proven, simple measures. Globally, recognition is growing about the critical development and public health challenge posed by road deaths and injuries: earlier this year, the UN General Assembly declared the first-ever “Decade of Action for Road Safety,” providing an opportunity for global action. For its part, the United Nations General Secretary issued a directive to all United Nations staff instructing drivers of UN vehicles to practice road safety, including by wearing seatbelts, obeying speed limits and avoiding the use of mobile phones and other distractions. This should be a source of inspiration for good governance also in Europe.

ETSC’s Executive Director Antonio Avenoso said: “Road deaths and injuries is a Global pandemic, the European Union has a fundamental duty to protect its citizens, but also a responsibility to lead the way as a road safety champion internationally. To achieve this the EU will have to give a real meaning, through action, to its recently published Road Safety Policy Orientations“.

This is a wonderful tool for all NGOs advocating for road victims and road danger reduction and even more so for those NGOs who have signed it.

Brussels NGO declaration

Being signed by over 70 NGOs, it has enormous weight and will be a great help to NGOs in their demands for action from their governments.

NGOs – please use it!!!

Some 2021 events out of so, so many

Some 2022 events out of so, so many

Both Brigitte Chaudhry and Jeannot Mersch are road death bereaved parents, who have dedicated the past 25-30 years since the deaths of their children (Brigitte's son in 1990 and Jeannot's daughter in 1993) to working on behalf of all road traffic victims, including sharing with them the World Day of Remembrance, so that now after 30 years, it is known in all countries of the world and observed in most. May its observance eventually lead to our vision of near Zero road deaths and injuries.

Brigitte Chaudhry MBE
RoadPeace, UK's charity for road traffic victims
1992 - to date
Founder & President & Trustee
FEVR - European Federation of Road Traffic Victims
1993 - 2021
Delegate of RoadPeace 
2nd FEVR President 2004-2010
NGO Coordinator
Honorary President
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims WDoR
1993 – to date
Initiator/Founder- 
Advocate
Website Author & Editor
Recipient International Road Safety Award- 
Ongoing Champion

Jeannot Mersch
AVR  Luxemburgs Association for road traffic victims (Association nationale des Victimes de la Route) member 1993 - to date
 President 1999-2014 -Honorary President
FEVR - European Federation of Road Traffic Victims 1996 - 2021
Delegate of AVR (-2015)
3rd FEVR President 2010 -2021