WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS: NOVEMBER 20, 2011

 

WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS

Quick Facts

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims serves as a major advocacy day for road traffic injury prevention.

Local names

Name	Language
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	English
Día mundial en recuerdo de las víctimas de los accidentes de tráfico	Spanish

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2012

Sunday, November 18, 2012

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.

Road victims are remembered on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims ©iStockphoto.com/Slobo Mitic

What do people do?

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. 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: media campaigns and coverage;  websites dedicated to the day; celebrity involvement; information distribution via the internet, posters and leaflets; DVD presentations on road traffic crashes; advocacy messages from world leaders; moments of silence; seminars and workshops; exhibitions and displays of photographs of injuries and road crash scenes; and marches or processions. These activities occur in many countries in nearly every continent.

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.

Public life

The UN’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a global observance and not a public holiday.

Background

According to the Centers 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 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. On October 26, 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November each year.

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.

Note: Although the day became an official UN day on the third Sunday of November in 2005, many people around the world celebrated the day since 1993.

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Observances

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday type	Where it is observed
Sun	Nov 21	1993	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 20	1994	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 19	1995	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 17	1996	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 16	1997	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 15	1998	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 21	1999	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 19	2000	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 18	2001	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 17	2002	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 16	2003	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 21	2004	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 20	2005	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 19	2006	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 18	2007	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 16	2008	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 15	2009	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 21	2010	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 20	2011	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 18	2012	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 17	2013	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 16	2014	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day
Sun	Nov 15	2015	World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims	United Nation day