Today marks ‘World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’ when commemorations take place globally to remember those injured or killed in road traffic collisions.
24,103 people have died since the recording of fatalities began in 1959 and 79,761 people have been seriously injured on Irish roads since the recording of serious injuries began in 1977 (up to 16 November 2017).
To date in 2017, a total of 133 families, friends and communities have lost a loved one. Five of these fatalities took place on Donegal’s roads.
World Day of Remembrance provides an opportunity to draw the public’s attention to the impact of road crashes and the human cost involved.
The day is a reminder of the effect on the family of a person killed or injured on our roads, as well as on the emergency services who face the consequences of crashes on a daily basis.
This year the RSA will be joining forces with members of An Garda Síochána, Local County Councils, Emergency Services and victim support groups to mark the day and remember those who have died on our roads at services which will be held across the country.
In Donegal, special masses were held today in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballyshannon, where families and friends lit candles for their late loved ones. Another mass took place at the Church of the Irish Martyrs in Letterkenny.
The RSA have set up a Facebook event page for World Day of Remembrance Day where people are invited to come and leave tributes and memorial messages for their loved ones who have died or who were injured on our roads.
Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the Road Safety Authority said: “This is the 11th year that we have commemorated World Day of Remembrance in Ireland. It is a day of reflection for all of those impacted by road traffic collisions. It gives us an opportunity to remember those who have died on our roads, lives cut short too soon.
“It is also an opportunity to remember those who have been seriously injured on our roads, who are left dealing with often very traumatic physical difficulties, whose lives have been permanently altered.
“And behind every life lost or serious injury, there are families, friends and communities who have been left devastated.
“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 Murphy says that the day puts a “human face with the statistics that we give out on a regular basis.”
Tags:Chief Superintendent Murphy speaking after today’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims committing to increase the strength of Garda Roads Policing by 150 personnel and calling on road users to safe. pic.twitter.com/aMyEtOBeRu
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) November 19, 2017
