In view of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Violeta Bulc, the EU’s Transport Commissioner made the following statement:

“Today is the Remembrance Day for all road victim from all over the world. There are too many road casualties. Just recently over 40 people lost their lives in France. No matter what we do, in spite the decreasing statistics, 70 people still die every day on European roads. But this is not about statistics. Behind this number, there are grieving families, a lot of sadness and lost futures. In many countries, memorials for road victims have been established. I find this initiative particularly touching.

There is a lot of work for us to do in the future; on operational, strategic level – on a day-to-day basis. We need to pay special attention to those most vulnerable, pedestrians and cyclists. I am sure that zero fatality on European roads is still the right goal. I am convinced that if we work together hand in hand, every day, in every Member State, we can achieve it during our lifetime.”

Background

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year in order to remember all those who are killed or injured in road traffic crashes every year. The World Day of Remembrance also calls attention to the suffering of the families and friends of the victims. The Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was first established in 1995 on the initiative of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims. Since 2005 the World Day of Remembrance is endorsed by the United Nations and recognised and honoured on all continents.