18 Nov Annual Day of Remembrance
The Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, first held in 1993 in the United Kingdom and organised since then by non-governmental organisations in a number of countries, was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and the plight of their loved ones who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these events.
On 26 October 2005, the United Nations adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Observation of this day provides an opportunity to draw the public’s attention to road traffic crashes, their consequences and costs, and the measures which can be taken to prevent them. The day also provides an opportunity to remind governments and society of their responsibility to make roads safer.
While road traffic deaths are counted in the year they occur, a family remains bereaved forever. The bereaved are not counted or included in road traffic injury data. Many others remain deeply affected by the loss of a friend, colleague, neighbour or member of the community. The effect on the emergency services, whose work involves facing the consequences of crashes on a daily basis, is also profound. Road traffic injuries leave behind shattered families and communities.
This year the RSA will be joining forces with members of An Garda Síochána, Local County Councils, Emergency Services and victim support groups to mark the day and remember those who have died on our roads at services which will be held across the country.
The RSA have a wall of remembrance on their Facebook page where loved ones who died or who were injured on our roads can be remembered. Please see here.
Please let the RSA know what is happening in your area to mark World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims in the feedback section of their webpage and they will add all the details to this page. Please see this year’s poster here.
Activities taking place in Ireland to mark World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims include remembrance services and ceremonies:
Further Information: Click here to visit the RSA’s dedicated for further information and for details of the events taking place across Ireland on World Remembrance Day, 20 November 2016.