Acknowledge the impact of road crashes and work together to prevent them
The third Sunday in November is recognized every year as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (World Day of Remembrance). This year, it is observed across the globe on November 19, 2023, with Justice as its theme. We invite you to help honour and support World Day of Remembrance by hosting or registering an event, and by sharing the hashtag #WDoR2023 on social media. But you can also support these efforts by simply making safe choices on the road to help reduce preventable deaths and injuries.
Why it’s important to acknowledge World Day of Remembrance every year
For families and communities, every day is a day that loved ones who have died or been injured are remembered – and sadly, every day, we suffer 3,700 additional deaths and tens of thousands more injuries around the world.
That is why the World Day of Remembrance, adopted by the United Nations in 2005, is about remembering, but it is also about supporting victims and families and taking action to prevent future deaths and injuries on the roads.
How to support World Day of Remembrance
Many national governments across the globe are recognizing the World Day of Remembrance, but it is the non-government organizations and local communities that often provide the most moving tributes and make the most visible plans to take action.
Your community may be holding an event, you can join an online event, or perhaps you may want to observe the World Day of Remembrance in your own way – such as writing a letter to your local newspaper or city official about the World Day of Remembrance or learning more about the impact of road crashes in your community. You may want to watch a video that the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety created, or read the report on which it is based, which details people’s experiences of road crashes (The Day Our World Crumbled: The Human Cost of Inaction on Road Safety).
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Community involvement in World Day of Remembrance
Although this is a day when we reflect on the very human and personal side of road crashes, the World Day of Remembrance is also a perfect opportunity for every community, every organization, and every person to take action to prevent future deaths and injuries.
We can renew and strengthen our resolve to prevent road deaths and injuries and to seek out relevant information to advocate for and implement the most effective efforts in our communities.
We can get both information and inspiration from diverse resources including many that are freely available from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Amend, Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, Association for Safe International Road Travel, Chariots of Destiny, Families for Safe Streets, FIA Foundation, Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, WHO’s Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, Irish Road Victims Association, Kolling Institute, North Foundation, Vision Zero Network and many others.
We all have a role to play in making our roads safe and ensuring our or someone else’s loved ones get home safely. Our choices matter, every day, every time we get behind the wheel, jump on our bike, scooter or another two-wheeled device, or simply step off the curb. Avoiding distraction, speed, fatigue, and impairment are choices we make when we use the roads, but it is also an important choice we make to advocate for a safe road system that protects all of us. The simplest thing we can all do on the World Day of Remembrance is to speak up because speaking up can positively influence good policy decisions which can make our roads safe for everyone.
So, with just over 2,600 days left in the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, every day is important. On the World Day of Remembrance and each subsequent day, let’s plan to REMEMBER, SUPPORT and ACT.
Together, we can help prevent more deaths and injuries on our roads.
Upcoming events taking place across the globe are listed at: https://worlddayofremembrance.org/events
WHO World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims event registration is available here.
Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety – Decade of Action Countdown https://www.roadsafetyngos.org
#MySafeRoadHome blog author: Bella Dinh-Zarr is trained in public health and injury prevention and is a former Vice Chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). She enjoys riding her bicycle, walking, skating, and working towards a transportation system that is safe and ethical for everyone.
Downloadable TIRF #WDoR2023 social media ads:
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