Press Release
10 November 2012
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
On 18 November 2012 – the third Sunday of November
official theme for 2012
From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade
Now is the time to learn from the past
Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!
The World Day has a long history – it is being observed this year for the 19
th time by
road victim advocacy NGOs, in particular those from Europe under FEVR’s umbrella
who established the Day, and for the 8
th year globally – by NGOs, governments and
other stakeholders, following the recognition by the UN on 26
th October 2005.
The theme is a combination of the motto for the first ever Decade of Action for Road
Safety, launched by the UN and WHO in May 2011, and the specific theme for 2012 –
Now is the time to learn from the past.
This theme relates to the call in Pillar 1 of the
Global Plan for the Decade for ongoing monitoring and evaluation…..to encourage all
road safety stakeholders, but especially Lead Agencies to examine their countries’ road
safety past and pursue a strategy to ensure a safer future, and to support NGOs in their
advocacy and campaigns for the same.
The annual observance of the World Day of Remembrance is listed as an international
activity that will be monitored during the Decade of Action for Road Safety. This
observance is now spreading fast as governments and authorities the world over have
begun to appreciate the value of the Day in helping them with their Decade goals - by
providing evidence of the devastation suffered by bereaved and injured road victims.
Parliaments on two continents – Europe and Africa - have even issued calls to their
member states to recognize and observe the World Day of Remembrance in future.
Web:
www.worlddayofremembrance.org www.fevr.org
Video for World Day,
produced by Lucy Pepper:
English
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMk0QrgrZPs&feature=plcp
French
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhNHMS1CIIU&feature=plcp
Spanish
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYXNo1skPV8&feature=youtu.be
Messages:
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."
Message from Dr Etienne Krug, Chair UNRSC Forum and WHO Director VIP Dept.
http://www.who.int/roadsafety/remembrance_day/remembrance_day_2012_fr.pdf
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.”
Contact details:
Jeannot Mersch +352 26 432 121 president@fevr.org
Brigitte Chaudhry: +44 20 8964 1800
editor@wdor.org
The European Federation of Road Traffic Victims, FEVR, is an umbrella organization of currently
24 national organizations from 17 European countries, which in their countries represent the
voices of road crash victims and work for road danger reduction.
FEVR was founded in 1991, is represented on the boards of ETSC, the Global NGO Alliance and
Citizens’ Initiative 30km/h, is a member of the UN Road Safety Collaboration Forum since its start
in 2004 and has signed up to the European Road Safety Charter.
Links:
http://www.who.int/roadsafety/remembrance_day/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/roadsafety/ministerial_conference/ngo_declaration.pdf
Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety
http://www.who.int/roadsafety/decade_of_action/plan/en/
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