Remembrance day launched to remember victims of road collisions
South Dublin County Council’s Road Safety Officer has encouraged all road users in the community to reflect on the lives lost and the loved ones left behind this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – which is this Sunday, November 19.
Each year, the third Sunday in November is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, and this year the RSA (Road Safety Authority) is joining forces with members of An Garda Siochana, local councils, emergency services and victim support groups to mark the day and remember those who have died on our roads at services to be held across the country.
Since the recording of road fatalities began in 1959, 24,103 people have been killed on Irish roads while 79,761 people have been seriously injured.
South Dublin County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh is asking all road users in South Dublin County to use this remembrance day as a time to “reflect on those who have lost their lives on our roads, think about their loved ones left behind, the injured and rehabilitated, and how their lives have become affected and in many cases, destroyed as a result of a collision on the road”.
Alongside remembering those who have lost their lives and their families, the day also provides an opportunity to draw people’s attention to road traffic collisions, their consequences and the measures that can be taken to prevent them.
The day also provides an opportunity to remind governments and society of their responsibilities to make roads safer.
Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the Road Safety Authority said: “This is the 11th year that we have commemorated World Day of Remembrance in Ireland.
“We hear often about the numbers killed or hurt on our roads, but these people are more than statistics, they are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, they are friends, colleagues and part of our communities. And we cannot forget that.”
Chief Superintendent Finbarr Murphy, of the National Roads Policing Unit, An Garda Síochána, said that this day of remembrance is a time when each one of us can look at our own behaviour on the roads and how that impacts on the safety of other road users.
“While we are remembering those lost, we can make a positive commitment to ensuring that other families don’t suffer the same grief by thinking each and every day about road safety.
“Wearing a seat-belt, putting mobile phones away while driving, ensuring we can be seen when out walking or cycling, are all things we should be doing each and every day.”
A Special Memorial Mass for World Day of Remembrance is taking place in St Michans Church, Halston Street, Dublin 7 at 11am on Sunday, November 19.
A candle lighting service will take place to remember all those who have tragically lost their lives on our roads and on the day, family members will also be invited to bring along a photo of their loved one and to place the name of their loved one the Jesse Tree of Remembrance.
All are welcome to attend and to participate in this service, please phone Orlaith on 087 9775710 or email omaguire@rsa.ie before Friday, November 10.
A full list of events is available on the RSA website.
