Road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of people aged 5-29 years killing almost 1.35 million people annually. The burden is disproportionately borne by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, especially those living in developing countries.
World Remembrance Day for Road Victims was started by a charity in the UK in 1993, and in 2005, it was endorsed by the United Nations (UN) as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November each year.
It is a high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families, and communities.
The day has become an important tool for governments worldwide, and all those whose work involves crash prevention or response to the aftermath of crashes, since it offers the opportunity to demonstrate the huge scale and impact of road deaths and injuries and advocate for urgent intensive action to stop the high death toll.