[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, November 21, 2021, will mark the 
26th World Day of Remembrance--WDoR--for Road Traffic Victims, 
commemorating the millions of people killed and injured on the world's 
road. 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 I 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 this 26th 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 marks the start of the new Decade of Action for Road Safety 
2021-2030, during which the WDoR will highlight the reasons for all of 
the necessary actions to be taken during this coming decade. 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 is immeasurable, as are the challenges of 
caring for a permanently disabled loved. 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 world. We must all take action to 
prevent these avoidable tragedies and save lives.

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