[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 177 (Friday, November 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ACKNOWLEDGING WORLD REMEMBRANCE DAY 2011

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                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 18, 2011

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take a moment to 
pay my respects to road traffic victims in honor of World Remembrance 
Day, this Sunday, November 20th. Since 1993, this special Remembrance 
Day responds to the great need that road crash victims and their loved 
ones harbor for public recognition of their loss and pain.
  The sense of grief and distress of this large group of people is all 
the greater because many of the victims are young and many of the 
crashes could have been prevented. The response to road death and 
injury is often experienced as inadequate, cruelly unsympathetic, and 
inappropriate to a loss of life or quality of life. In 2005, the United 
Nations took it global, endorsing it to be the third Sunday in November 
each year, encouraging NGOs, such as the Association for Safe 
International Road Travel to commemorate this day.
  I am proud to say, this past July, Indiana became the 32nd state to 
ban texting while behind the wheel. On May 11, Gov. Mitch Daniels 
signed the legislation which became effective July 1, 2011. Distraction 
is still a factor in too many serious crashes, and the new law is a 
small step to help make Indiana roads safer--and a small initiative 
which I hope will inspire road safety initiatives worldwide.
  It is estimated that 1.3 million people die in road crashes each 
year. Unless action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to 
become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.
  It is my hope that recognizing Remembrance Day will signal the 
importance the issue of reducing road danger to government.

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