[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 203 (Tuesday, November 23, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD HUDSON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 23, 2021

  Mr. HUDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise, along with my colleague, 
Congressman Steve Cohen, fellow co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on 
Global Road Safety, to mark the 26th World Day of Remembrance for Road 
Traffic Victims (World Day) on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
  On this solemn event, families, advocates, and leaders around the 
world gather to remember the tens of millions of lives impacted by road 
crashes and the bravery of the first responders and health care workers 
who work valiantly to save as many lives as possible.
  World Day of Remembrance was initiated in 1995 as the European Day of 
Remembrance and quickly spread around the globe. In 2005 the United 
Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 60/2, recognizing the third 
Sunday in November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic 
Victims.
  Every year, the goals of the World Day of Remembrance are to remember 
all people killed and seriously injured on the roads; acknowledge the 
crucial work of the emergency services; advocate 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.
  More than one mill ion 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 15-29, the third leading killer 
of Americans abroad, and the eighth leading cause of death among all 
people worldwide. Despite these figures, our understanding of the full 
scope of the problem is still lacking, and additional data collection 
is imperative.
  World Day of Remembrance 2021 also focuses on reduction of traffic 
speeds. Studies have shown unequivocally that lowering speeds has the 
potential to prevent many deaths and serious injuries, in particular 
those of pedestrians and all other vulnerable road users like children, 
people with disabilities, and the elderly.
  This year also marks the beginning of the second global Decade of 
Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which has a primary goal of reducing 
the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by road traffic 
accidents by at least 50 percent by 2030. Additionally, in October 
2021, Congressman Cohen and I officially relaunched the Congressional 
Caucus on Global Road Safety, working closely with the Association for 
Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT), the leading U.S. nonprofit 
advocating for safe travel on the world's roads.
  Rochelle Sobel founded ASIRT in response to the death of her son 
Aron, a 22-year-old medical student who was killed in a bus crash in 
Turkey along with 23 other passengers. ASIRT works to improve the 
safety of travelers through education and advocacy and was instrumental 
in encouraging the establishment of the Caucus in 2004.
  Looking ahead to what we must accomplish in this second Decade of 
Action, it is crucial that we collaborate to enact common sense 
solutions to meaningfully reduce the terrible toll of road crashes. We 
know how to save lives, now we must muster the will and courage to act 
with conviction.
  As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety, we 
implore our colleagues, partners, stakeholders, industry leaders and 
decision-makers worldwide to heed the message of World Day to 
``remember, support, and act'' to improve road safety and prevent 
avoidable tragedies. We look forward to welcoming more of our 
colleagues to the Caucus and working in earnest to provide leadership 
and make tangible advances to reduce road deaths.

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