[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 194 (Monday, November 16, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       MARKING WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2020

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, on behalf of myself and Congressman 
Richard Hudson, Co-Chairs of the International Road Safety Caucus, I 
rise today to mark the 25th World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic 
Victims. This day of remembrance is a day to commemorate the millions 
of people who have lost their lives or been injured on the world's 
roads. It is also a day to thank emergency responders for their role in 
responding to emergencies and saving lives on roads and highways across 
the globe; a day to reflect on the impact of road traffic deaths and 
injuries on families and communities; and a day to draw attention to 
the need for improved legislation, awareness, infrastructure, 
technology, and international cooperation to save more families from 
the tragedy of losing a loved one.
  More than one million people die from road crashes every year, and 
tens of millions are seriously injured. Road traffic crashes are the 
number one killer of young people aged 15 to 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 this 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 15th 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 
promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further 
road traffic deaths and injuries.
  Indeed, the day has become an important call to attention and 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.
  In every Congressional district across America, families lose loved 
ones to road traffic crashes at home and abroad. It is an issue that 
affects every demographic and almost every mode of mobility, leaving 
behind profound trauma and economic impacts.
  In Florida's 20th Congressional district and North Carolina's 8th 
Congressional district, road traffic crashes claimed 1,947 and 669 
lives respectively between 2014 and 2018, costing an estimated combined 
$27 billion in medical expenses, lost wages, vehicle damages, 
administrative costs, and uninsured costs. Not to mention pain, 
anguish, and 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. Those of us who 
have lost loved ones in a crash know all too well the ongoing pain that 
this tragedy causes families and communities.
  Road traffic crashes are preventable. 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 world. Today, we 
call on our colleagues in the United States Congress, Executive Branch 
agencies, and every community in America to remember, support, and act 
to prevent these avoidable tragedies and save lives.

                          ____________________