The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2019
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is observed on the third Sunday of November each year. It was started by RoadPeace in 1993. On 26 October 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November each year, making it a major advocacy day for road traffic injury prevention.
The World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims is an opportunity to reflect on how we can save millions of lives. More than 1.3 million people die in road accidents every year. And more young people aged between 15-29 die from road crashes each year than from HIV/AIDs, malaria, tuberculosis or homicide.
While the scale of the challenge is enormous, collective efforts can do much to prevent these tragedies. Saving lives by improving road safety is one of the many objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And since 2015, my Special Envoy on Road Safety has worked to mobilize political commitment, raise awareness about the United Nations road safety conventions, foster dialogue on good practices and advocate for funding and partnerships.
In 2018, a UN Road Safety Fund was launched to finance actions in low- and middle-income countries, where around 90 per cent of traffic casualties occur. And in February next year, a global ministerial conference on road safety will be held in Sweden to strengthen partnerships to accelerate action. Urgent action remains imperative. On this World Day, I call on all to join forces to address the global road safety crisis.
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
Road Traffic Accident (RTA) or Massacre?
Global status report on road safety 2018
The Fifth United Nations Global Road Safety Week #SpeakUp to SaveLIVES
