[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 193 (Thursday, November 12, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6672-S6673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





           WORLD DAY OF REMEMBERANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, November 15, 2020, will mark the 25th 
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, commemorating the 
millions of people killed and injured on the world's roads. It is also 
a day to thank emergency responders for their role in saving lives; to 
reflect on the impact of road traffic deaths and injuries on families 
and communities; and to draw attention to the need for improved 
legislation, awareness, infrastructure, and technology to save more 
families from the tragedy of losing a loved one.
  More than 1 million people die from road crashes every year, and tens 
of millions are seriously injured. Road traffic crashes are the No. 1 
killer of young people aged 15-29 and the eighth leading cause of death 
among all people worldwide. Rochelle Sobel, President of the 
Association for Safe International Road Travel, highlighted the gravity 
of this issue and the imperative to fix it: ``Every 27 seconds, 
somewhere in the world, a person dies in a road crash.''
  On the 25th anniversary of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic 
Victims, it is important to remember the history and recommit to the 
goals of this day. It was initiated in 1995 as the European Day of 
Remembrance and quickly spread around the globe to countries in Africa, 
South America, and Asia. In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly 
adopted Resolution 60/2, recognizing November 15 as the World Day of 
Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Since that time, the observance 
of this day has continued to spread to a growing number of countries on 
every continent.
  This year, the stated goals of World Day of Remembrance 2020 include 
remembering all people killed and seriously injured on the roads, 
acknowledging the crucial work of the emergency services, advocating 
for better support to road traffic victims and their families, and 
promoting evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further 
road traffic deaths and injuries.
  Indeed, the day has become an important moment to focus international 
attention on this preventable epidemic and as an advocacy tool in 
global efforts to reduce road casualties. As a result of the growing 
awareness and global call to action that World Day of Remembrance for 
Road Traffic Victims has generated, in September 2020, the United 
Nations passed a resolution declaring the years 2021 to 2030 a new 
Decade of Action for Road Safety. The declaration affirms the UN's 
commitment to work vigorously to implement a new, ambitious agenda to 
halve road crash deaths by 2030.
  Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 
calls on governments and their stakeholders, including NGOs and private 
citizens, to address the personal, medical, and financial burdens 
associated with road traffic deaths and injuries.
  The devastation of losing a child, parent, sibling, partner, friend, 
caregiver, or caretaker; the struggle of having to care for a 
permanently disabled loved one, these are incalculable. Road traffic 
crashes are preventable, and so we owe it to our communities to work 
together so that the hopes and dreams of our loved ones are not 
shattered on the roads of the United States and the

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world. We must all take action to prevent these avoidable tragedies and 
save lives.

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