The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims takes place on the third Sunday in November every year as the appropriate acknowledgment of victims of road traffic crashes and their families. It was started by the British road crash victim charity, RoadPeace, in 1993 and was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005.
In 1993, the first day of remembrance which was organised by Brigitte Chaudhry, Founder of RoadPeace. In 1995 the General Assembly of European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) added its support and by 1998 the event was being held in a number of countries including Argentina, Australia, Israel, South Africa, and Trinidad [1] in addition to the United Kingdom. The World Health Organization added its support in 2003 and in 2005 the United Nations General Assembly invited all nations to observe the day 'as the appropriate acknowledgment of victims of road traffic crashes and their families'. [2] [3]
In 2007 events were held in 18 countries; [4] it was marked by candlelight parades in Israel, a multi-faith gathering in Australia, theater performances in Mexico, and a seminar in Japan. [5]
In 2008 events were held 28 countries including Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Uganda, UK and USA. [6]
In 2009 events were held in 30 countries. [7] Canada's Transport Minister John Baird offered condolences to those affected by the estimated 3,000 fatalities and 200,000 injuries from road crashes that occur every year in Canada. [8] In England a service was held in Canterbury Cathedral [9] and in Ripon Cathedral [10] Some 1,000 people attended a service in Knock Shrine in Ireland [11] Pope Benedict XVI prayed for "all who have been killed or injured in road accidents". [12] Services were also held in Barbados [13] India, [14] Namibia [15] and many other places.
In 2015, 15 November, FEVR's Former President Brigitte Chaudhry MBE & FEVR's President Jeannot Mersch presented on 15 November 2015 in Brasilia with the ‘Prince Michael of Kent International Road Safety Award‘ for FEVR's "part in the creation, development and promotion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims over the past two decades".
Among other countries, India has more fatalities due to road accidents and is also taking steps to reduce the number of accidents. There has been significant amount of awareness events taking place across the country organized by various NGOs taking initiatives to prevent road accidents; several of them failed to sustain and only few remained to work on field level. With the "force of law" that Supreme court of India gave in 2016 for the protection of Good Samaritans [16] through Good Samaritan Law, state governments and NGOs took initiatives [17] to educate about this to public. In Tamil Nadu, an NGO called Thozhan [18] was taking different initiatives such as Traffic Awareness Campaign [19] to transform our country as an Accident Free Nation [20] by creative ways [21] along with Golden Hour [22] training. The GO [23] (Government order) was passed by the state government for this Good Samaritan Law in the consecutive months by the states one by one. The No More [24] - a remembrance day [25] gathering was regularly organized by Thozhan whose work was published in official website of World Day of Remembrance. [26]
On the remembrance day, [27] the public will gather either in a public place or large indoor hall and the organizer will address the people and give a talk about the need for the day. Then the accident victims' [28] photos will be affixed in a memorial board and homage [29] will be paid either by lighting the candle or floral tribute. The parents or friends of the accident victim will share their experience about the loss due to the accident and emphasis the importance of road safety to the gathered public. Then everyone will take pledge to follow traffic rules [30] and also do their part to prevent further accidents from happening. This gathering will also be an important place to educate the public about Good Samaritan Law and prevent any other accident victim to die on road due to delayed medical treatment or first aid on Golden Hour. [31]
November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars. Its length is 30 days. November was the ninth month of the calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC. November retained its name when January and February were added to the Roman calendar. November is a month of late spring in the Southern Hemisphere and late autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, November in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of May in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. In Ancient Rome, Ludi Plebeii was held from November 4–17, Epulum Jovis was held on November 13 and Brumalia celebrations began on November 24. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, and passengers of on-road public transport.
Avianca Flight 011, registration HK-2910X, was a Boeing 747-200M on an international scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt to Bogotá via Paris, Madrid, and Caracas that crashed near Madrid on 27 November 1983. It took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 22:25 on 26 November 1983 for Madrid Barajas Airport; take-off was delayed waiting for additional passengers from a Lufthansa flight due to a cancellation of the Paris-Frankfurt-Paris segment by Avianca for operational reasons.
RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims in the UK. It supports the people affected by road crashes with emotional and practical support and advocacy. It operates a help line and provides practical support to people affected. RoadPeace founded the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and established the RoadPeace Wood within the National Memorial Arboretum.
Workers' Memorial Day, also known as International Workers' Memorial Day or International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured, takes place annually around the world on April 28, an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured, or made unwell by their work. In Canada, it is commemorated as the National Day of Mourning.
Comair Flight 5191 was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia. On the morning of August 27, 2006, at around 06:07 EDT, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet 100ER crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, 4 miles west of the central business district of the city of Lexington.
Make Roads Safe is a global road safety campaign established with the aim of securing political commitment for road traffic injury prevention around the world.
Letika Saran is the former Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier she served as the 36th Commissioner of Police in Chennai. She is the only woman to head a metropolitan police organization in India. Before that she was an Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP).
A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Traffic collisions often result in injury, disability, death, and property damage as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Road transport is the most dangerous situation people deal with on a daily basis, but casualty figures from such incidents attract less media attention than other, less frequent types of tragedy. The commonly used term car accident is increasingly falling out of favor with many government departments and organizations, with the Associated Press style guide recommending caution before using the term. Some collisions are intentional vehicle-ramming attacks, staged crashes, vehicular homicide or vehicular suicide.
The European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) is a non-governmental organisation that provides emotional, social and juridical assistance to road traffic victims or/and their relatives and supports organisations in many countries to achieve this aim. Together with the World Health Organization and RoadPeace, it organises the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims which takes place globally on the third Saturday in November each year. Their founder & 1st president was Marcel Haegi, the 2nd president (2004-2010) was Brigitte Chaudhry MBE, who founded RoadPeace in 1991. The actual president is Jeannot Mersch, all 3 bereaved parents.
Air India Express Flight 812 was a scheduled international flight from Dubai International Airport, Dubai to Mangalore International Airport, Mangalore. On 22 May 2010, the Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operating the flight crashed on landing at Mangalore. The captain had continued an unstabilised approach, despite three calls from the first officer to initiate a "go-around", resulting in the aircraft overshooting the runway, falling down a hillside, and bursting into flames. Of the 166 passengers and crew on board, 158 were killed ; only eight survived. This was the first fatal accident involving Air India Express and, as of 2024, the deadliest.
On 28 May 2010, a Jnaneshwari Express train derailed at about 1 am in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, India. It was disputed as to whether sabotage or a bomb caused damage on the railway track, which in turn led to the derailment, before an oncoming goods train hit the loose carriages and resulted in the deaths of at least 148 passengers.
The United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) is an informal consultative mechanism whose members are committed to road safety efforts and in particular to the implementation of the recommendations of the World report on road traffic injury prevention.
SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on improving road safety and emergency medical care across India. SLF combines evidence-based research with policy advocacy, communication, and on-ground execution of projects in the two areas of crash prevention as well as post-crash response. Over the past few years, SLF has facilitated the enactment of the Good Samaritan Law in India, which insulates lay rescuers of injured victims from ensuing legal and procedural hassles. It has also adopted the Mumbai Pune Expressway to transform it into a Zero Fatality Corridor, trained several thousand Police personnel and citizens in basic life-saving techniques, and built technology platforms to assist road users and those interested in road safety.
Traffic collisions in India are a major source of deaths, injuries and property damage every year. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2021 report states that there were 155,622 fatalities, highest since 2014, out of which 69,240 deaths were due to two-wheelers. A study by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, U.S. shows that the use of seat belts significantly reduces the risks and injuries from road accidents, and yet there is no enforcement on use of seat belts in cars. A study by IIT Delhi points out that the national highways constitute only 2% of the length of roads in India, but they account for 30.3% of total road accidents and 36% of deaths.
Kunhadi is a non-profit organization concerned with road safety in Lebanon. Kunhadi is aimed at raising road safety awareness, especially among young people. The organization was established in 2006 after Hady Gebrane died from a car crash at age 18.
Piyush Tewari is an Indian social entrepreneur, focused on improving road safety, access to emergency medical care and urban governance across India. He is the Founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, and best known for his work to pass a Good Samaritan Law in India. In 2016, GQ Magazine named him as one of the most influential young Indians. In 2014, Tewari was featured as an expert on Satyamev Jayate, a popular TV show on social issues, hosted by actor Aamir Khan. The episode Tewari was featured in was focused on the epidemic of road accidents in India.
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety is a collection of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that implement programs and lobby for road safety initiatives around the world. As an umbrella organization, it currently represents more than 200 member NGOs from 90-plus countries.
India's Good Samaritan Law was passed as a Bill by the Supreme court of India on March 30, 2016, and gave the "Force of Law" to the guidelines for the protection of Good Samaritans and then issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In the consecutive months, the state governments have passed GO. Later, it was included in the draft of Motor Vehicles Act 2019. Also issued were operating procedures for Good Samaritans. Important points stated are
The Zero Fatality Corridor (ZFC) is a road traffic safety model relevant for low- and middle-income countries. The model originated in India and was developed by the Indian non-profit SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF). The model aims to reduce the number of road crashes and consequent injuries, damages and fatalities.
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