World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
This World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Road Sense Australia will be honouring the countless of lives affected by road trauma at the Sydney’s Parramatta Westfield. Visit us to collect your commemorative candle and say “Hi” to the Road Sense Australia team.
When: Sunday, 17 November 2024
Time: 10am – 4pm
Where: Westfield Parramatta
What is it?
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) has five goals
- remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
- acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services;
- draw attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries and advocate for an appropriately serious response;
- advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families;
- promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries
- remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
– www.worlddayofremembrance.org
Each year more and more people, families, and communities suffer the consequences of road trauma. Many see the victim of road trauma as only the person who gets hurt in the crash, but it’s also the people around them that has to either deal with the loss of a loved one, or supporting them with new, and sometimes permanent, injuries, as well as the finical strain that is often associated with it.
Road trauma is more than a crash; it’s everything afterwards.
Road Trauma in Australia
In 2023, 1,266 people died due to road trauma in Australia:
NSW – 351
Vic – 294
QLD – 277
WA – 158
SA – 117
Tas – 34
NT – 31
ACT – 4
Of the national total, 58 were aged between 0 and 16 years old, and 244 were between 17 and 25 years old.
Further, there were 9927 instances of serious injuries (injuries requiring hospital admission and not fatal within 30 days) due to road trauma in NSW that could be matched to police reports.
Our Involvement:
WDoR 2022
We held our first WDR event in 2022, where we had a small stall at Westfield Paramatta where we handed out tealight candles to honour the day and help spread awareness, not only about the event, but also its message.
WDoR 2023
Last year we expanded to have our stall at the Bondi Markets, where we once again handed out small candles, the symbol of WDR, to those passing by. We handed out over 900 candles and got to listen to the stories and dedications of numerous individuals who have been affected by road trauma themselves.
What’s happening in 2024?
This year, we’re headed back to the place it all began, Westfield Parramatta, to hopefully hand out double the amount of tealight candles we once did, and commemorate those lost on the roads, as well as spread the important message of road safety in the second biggest CBD in NSW.
Every year, on the day, we also share tributes sent in by the public on our social media platforms. Each tribute is either dedicated to loved ones who were lost on the road, people who have been injured, or to thank someone that helped them with road trauma.
History of the day
What we know today as WDR began in 1995 when the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) held its first European Day of Remembrance. This soon became World Day of Remembrance when associated organisations from Africa, South America, and Asia joined FEVR.
By 2000 the day had gathered significant attention from international community leaders, and by 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the day.
In 2021, World Day of Remembrance for Road Trauma Victims became its own federation, making it a truly independent organisation to ensure that it could serve and support all road victims and related organisations.