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According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, road crashes are the leading cause of death in people aged between five to 34 years in the United States. It is the leading cause of death globally for children and young people aged between 10 to 24 years, and the third leading cause of death globally among people aged between 30 to 44 years. Every six seconds someone is killed or injured on the world’s roads, including drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is held on the third Sunday of November each year. It is a day to remember those who died or were injured from road crashes and the plight of their loved ones who must cope with the consequences of their deaths or injuries. Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system, play a major role to promote the day.
History - The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was first observed by RoadPeace in 1993 and has since been held by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in many countries. Since then it has been observed and promoted worldwide by several non-governmental organizations, including the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) and its associated organizations. In recognition of the enormous strength that NGOs possess as advocates for road safety, WHO hosted a meeting of 12 such groups in September 2003. The meeting led to the creation of an informal network of agencies that advocates for road safety, and the identification of areas for joint activities. ASIRT, FEVR and RoadPeace were invited to be members of the UN Road Safety Collaboration. They, together with other NGOs in the informal network, lobbied through the Collaboration for a day to be dedicated to victims and their families. This led to the recognition by the United Nations General Assembly of the third Sunday in November every year as a World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims "as the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families". On October 26, 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global day via resolution A/60/5 (2005), to be observed every third Sunday in November each year.
Events - Remembrance services and flower-laying ceremonies are held in memory of dead road victims around the world on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. A book, titled World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims: a guide for organizers, provides practical guidance to people or groups who organize events related to this day. WHO, the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) and RoadPeace worked together in developing this book. Police officers, associations supporting families of road victims, governments and communities unite families and friends of those who died or were injured from road traffic crashes in promoting the day through various activities.
These activities include:
Symbols - RoadPeace uses an image of red, bleeding flower on a black background with the words “Remember Me” underneath the flower to promote the day. WHO’s emblem is also found in promotions for the day. The emblem, which was chosen by the first World Health Assembly in 1948, is often associated with the UN’s promotional material for World Mental Health Day. The emblem consists of the UN symbol surmounted by a staff with a snake coiling round it. The staff with the snake has long been a symbol of medicine and the medical profession. It originates from the story of Aesculapius who was revered by the ancient Greeks as a god of healing and whose cult involved the use of snakes.
Holiday Status - It is not a public holiday.
