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World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Sunday 21 November is the UN's World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a day to remember the millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads, and to acknowledge the cumulative toll on and suffering of all affected victims, families and communities.

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year as an “appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”.

It is also a day when we pause to thank the emergency services personnel, police and medical professionals who attend and treat those killed and injured and reflect on the economic and social impact this issue has on the community.

The objectives of WDoR 2021 are to provide a platform for road traffic victims and their families to:
  • remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
  • acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services;
  • draw attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries;
  • advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families;
  • promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries.

WDoR 2021 puts the spotlight on the reduction of traffic speeds – low speeds, which have the potential to prevent many deaths and serious injuries, in particular those of pedestrians and all other vulnerable road users – children, elderly and the disabled.

The World Day was started by the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) in 1995 and adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 60/5 on 26th October 2005.

In Australia, Road Trauma Support Services Victoria will be hosting their Time for Remembering online ceremony on Sunday 21st November at 12.00-1.30pm AEDT. Click here to register.

Bicycle Network encourage everyone to pause for a moment at midday on Sunday to remember the 1.3 million people killed worldwide each year as well as the more than 1200 Australians. This includes 40 bike riders each year taken from their communities to soon - a number that has not changed for two decades.

To find out more visit: www.worlddayofremembrance.org

Read Bicycle Network's Bike Rider Fatality Report 2001-2020.

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