Victims and Victim Representatives
World Day Messages & statements from victims and victim representatives
World Day of Remembrance #WDoR2017
Road Safety Engagement: The Sacred Work of Sorrow by Wendy Sarkissian, WDR 2017
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From President FEVR (European Federation of Road Traffic Victims) Jeannot Mersch, World Day 2014
Excessive speed is a key contributory cause of road deaths and injuries, hence technologies like Isa or Lisa that design out speeding would potentially provide the safest vehicles – both to people outside and occupants. We really need now these technologies that reduce speed and contribute effectively to reduce severe injuries and save lives. “Speed remains a very important risk factor. It has a greater effect on the number of accidents and injury severity than almost all other known risk factors.” Rune Elvik, The Power Model of the relationship between speed and road safety New technologies fitted to vehicles that reduce the key risks of speed could reduce severe injuries and fatalities in the next 5 years by more than 50% ISA (Intelligent Speed Assistance) EDR (Event Data Recorder) and AEB (Advanced Emergency Braking) All together these promising features will help to reduce many dangers on our roads and in our streets
New attention must also be given to improving vehicle crash design for those outside of the vehicle. ISA can advise drivers of speed limits using a GPS database combined with cameras that read road signs. These systems can also automatically ensure that drivers keep to speed limits and therefore avoid penalties. The information is communicated to the driver in any of the following three ways: informing the driver of the limit (advisory ISA), warning them when they are driving faster than the limit (warning ISA) or actively aiding the driver to keep to the limit (assisting ISA). ISA and LiSaAssisting mandatory ISA would also help keep drivers within the speed limits in urban areas, where they come into contact, and kill and injure, many pedestrians and cyclists. Mandatory ISA installation in all new cars will help to achieve a high level of compliance with speed limits. For vans, which currently do not have mandatory speed limiters, the maximum speed should be set at 120km/h.
LiSa Light and Safe car Shouldn’t there be set a common maximum speed by the car industry at construction? The mass (or weight), power and top speed of new cars sold in Europe have increased very significantly in the last few decades. This trend continues. The weight and the maximum speed are decisive factors for road safety: there is a clear relationship between the maximum kinetic energy of a vehicle (1/2 m vmax²) and its “dangerousness. “Till 2020 we should have a world in which safe and sustainable transport is considered as a human right for all”
J. Mersch, FEVR president
Jeannot Mersch, FEVR president’s Isa & LiSa: FEVR president message
Jeannot’s video message:
UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon: UNSG_statement_2014_English
Commissioner Violeta Bulc, the Commissioner for Transport, has prepared a video statement for the World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims
The video message will go out with a press release on Sunday, you will also find it via Commissioner Bulc on twitter: @Bulc_EU and on here
Dr Etienne Krug, chair of the UN Road Safety Collaboration Forum: here
Etienne’s video message: here
Michael Cramer, chair of the EP TRAN Commission: http://fevr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2014-11-13-Statement-World-dayof-Remembrance-for-Road-Traffic-Victims1.doc
From President FEVR (European Federation of Road Traffic Victims) Jeannot Mersch, World Day 2010
„Als Erinnerung an verlorenes und gebrochenes Leben; die Verletzten mit einbeziehen“
„…..Unsere Gedanken gehören den Menschen, die ihr Leben lassen mussten, aber nicht nur ihnen : dieser Gedenktag ist ebenso allen gewidmet, die schwer körperlich und/oder seelisch verletzt worden sind, sowie ihren Angehörigen und ihren Freunden…..
An diesem Gedenktag erinnern wir die Politiker an ihre Verantwortung den Straßenverkehr sicherer zu gestalten. Entscheidungen, die den heutigen Erkenntnissen und Möglichkeiten gerecht sind, sollten getroffen werden, um Fatalitäten und schwere Verletzungen zu verringern.
Seit die Vereinten Nationen diesen Tag offiziell eingeführt haben, nimmt die Zahl der Gedenkzeremonien weltweit jährlich zu: diese internationale Solidarität gibt uns Kraft und vereint uns in unserem Engagement für bessere Opferhilfe…..“
“Remembering lives lost and broken” “Don’t forget the injured”
“……We should include in our thoughts not only those who lost their lives, but insist that this Remembrance Day is also dedicated to those victims who survived with severe injuries. We include all their friends and families too….. But on World Day of Remembrance we should not fail to call on the responsibility of decision makers to make roads less dangerous: they should implement the well known measures that can reduce fatalities and severe injuries in a short, medium and also longer term.
Every year, since the UN has officially adopted this Remembrance Day, the number of events and ceremonies of remembrance in the whole world is growing. This worldwide solidarity empowers us to demand better support for road victims, to stop us feeling abandoned…..”
« Se Souvenir des vies brisées et perdues » ; « ne pas oublier les blessés »
“……Nos pensées vont à ceux qui ont perdu la vie. Nous insistons aussi pour que cette journée du souvenir soit dédiée aux victimes grièvement blessées, sans oublier leurs proches…….. Lors de cette journée, pensons surtout à rappeler aux décideurs politiques leurs responsabilités. Ils devraient appliquer toutes les mesures connues susceptibles de réduire les fatalités et les blessures, ceci à court, moyen et long terme.
Chaque année, depuis que les Nations Unies ont établi officiellement cette journée du souvenir, le nombre des cérémonies est croissant à travers le monde. Cette solidarité internationale nous rend forts. Nous demandons une meilleure assistance pour les victimes et une diminution des dangers de la route pour la prochaine décennie…..”
From bereaved father, Luxemburg, 2006
“The Remembrance Day creates a link between all victims. Other people prefer that one should forget, but that is worse. Such a commemoration is VERY IMPORTANT to families, who need to speak of their tragedy, light candles, celebrate a ritual… “
From bereaved mother, Spain, 2006
“This Day is important as a comfort to the bereaved, who seem forgotten by the justice system, the authorities and modern society, and also to raise awareness of this wholly preventable worldwide disaster.”
From bereaved uncle, Belgium, 2006
“Road victims, like other victims, also need a special day, when they feel that they are not alone and that their suffering is considered by the community.”
From injured road victim, The Netherlands, 2006
“The number of people killed and injured on the roads represents by far the largest of all human- made disasters. The Remembrance Day makes clear to society that this toll is totally unacceptable, both in respect of human misery and economic cost; it also offers the opportunity to share the loss with others, which may help in the process of accepting it.”
ACA-M, Portugal, 2007
http://carmoeatrindade.blogspot.com/2007/11/get-this-widget-track-details-esnips.html