World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims this Sunday

THIS Sunday (November 15) marks World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, when commemorations will take place globally to remember the victims of traffic crashes and their families.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) will be hosting an online remembrance ceremony on the RSA Facebook page on Sunday at 2 p.m. The event will feature a special performance by Liam Lawton.

Mass from Knock Shrine will also be celebrated at 12 noon on Sunday in remembrance of all who have lost their lives on the roads. It can be viewed online at https://www.knockshrine.ie/watch-live/?v=d2cb7bbc0d23.

Council buildings across Ireland will also ‘light up for road safety’ as part of this year's commemoration.

And you can get involved at home in a meaningful way too. Members of the public are being asked to join in and shine a light in their window on Sunday evening between 7 and 8 p.m. to remember those in their community who have died on the roads.

Every year crash victims are remembered on the third Sunday in November and this year, with everything else going on in the world, road safety stakeholders are not forgetting those who have died on the roads. With an increase in people out walking, cycling and going from place to place, road safety is more important now more than ever before and road safety officers are asking the public to join them to ‘light up’ and shine a light for road safety and remember those who have died or were injured on the roads.

Some 24,526 people have died in fatal crashes in Ireland since the recording of fatalities began in 1959. This is equivalent to losing the population of the town of Carlow. Over 80,000 people have been seriously injured on Irish roads since the recording of serious injuries began in 1977.

To date in 2020 a total of 127 families, friends and communities have lost a loved one on Irish roads. This is an increase of 11 deaths compared to the same date last year.

Said Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Hildegarde Naughton: “World Day of Remembrance for Road Traiffc Victims is an opportunity for us all to not only remember those who have been killed or injured on our roads but to also remember their families. We should remember too the health care workers who tend to victims and the members of the emergency services who are at the front line of road safety, often the first on the scene of a road traffic incident.

“I would like to pay tribute to all their hard work, constant professionalism and the care and support they offer to both victims and families.”

Assistant Commissioner, Paula Hilman, National Roads Policing Unit, An Garda Síochána, said: “World Day of Remembrance is a time for each one of us to reflect on our own behaviour on the roads and how that impacts on the safety of other road users. It is a time for us to remember those who have died on our roads as a result of road traffic collisions.

“The day is also a time for self-reflection on how we use the roads ourselves. Every time you sit behind the wheel, get on your bicycle or motorbike, or head out for a walk, consider what you can do to improve your safety on the roads.

“On this day we also pay tribute to our dedicated front-line staff, the Gardaí, emergency crews and medical professionals that deal with the aftermath of these collisions.”