38,519 people killed on Irish roads since records began
All those who have died in road traffic collisions will be remembered on the World Day of Remembrance on Sunday 15th November 2015.
Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe TD, along with the Road Safety Authority (RSA), An Garda Síochána, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Fire & Rescue Services, Local Authorities and road safety groups, are calling on road-users to join the international community in remembering all those who have lost their lives in road traffic collisions.
A total of 14,767 people have been killed on roads in Northern Ireland since deaths were first recorded in 1931. A total of 23,752 people have been killed on roads in the Republic of Ireland since records began in 1959.
Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan said, “Many generations and thousands of families in the North, including my own, have been devastated by the grief of loss and the heartache of road tragedy. Almost 15,000 people, just like you and me, have lost their lives.
“And this is why I am working along with my road safety partners towards reducing the carnage on our roads. We must do everything possible to prevent this loss and suffering touching any more lives,” he insisted.
“Road safety is a continuous challenge and road deaths do not discriminate. All road users are vulnerable, every journey, every day, every road. The certainty of the unexpected means that it is crucial to reduce speed, wear seatbelts and eliminate high risk behaviours.
“I am fully committed to improving safety for all road users. I firmly believe that by working together, we can rise to the challenge of making our roads safer for everyone.”
Minister Durkan added, “I therefore encourage that all road users commit to be the best road user they can be by pledging at http://www.sharetheroadtozero.com“
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe welcomed the fact that people both north and south were coming together to remember all the lives lost on the island’s roads. “Many lives have been saved and injuries prevented as a result of the collaborative work by road safety agencies on both sides of the boarder in recent years so it is fitting that we should come together on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’ to remember those who have tragically died on the road and to also think of their families.
The Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which was first held in 1993 in the United Kingdom and organised since then by non-governmental organizations in a number of countries, was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and the plight of their loved ones who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these events.
On 26 October 2005, the United Nations adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
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