The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a day of remembrance, reflection and awareness that is commemorated worldwide. This special day, which takes place every year on the third Sunday in November, pays tribute to all those who have lost their lives or suffered serious and irreversible damage to their health and to their surviving families in road crashes.


World Day of Remembrance 

19 November 2023

LIVING WITH THE IMPACT: You don't know how it feels until you lose someone or experience injuries in a crash.

Every year in Europe, thousands of people are injured with permanent consequences and many others lose their lives in road crashes. We remember and honour those who must learn to "live with the impact" of a road crashes. The emotional burden borne by victims and their families is often silent but overwhelming.

Each death is a tragedy that leaves a void that is impossible to fill in families. Each serious injury involves physical disability and psychological trauma that also affect people's quality of life, autonomy and self-esteem. The majority are invisible victims who do not receive an adequate post-crash response.

In addition to the personal impact, road crashes also imply an impact on society since the expenses associated with medical treatments, rehabilitation, long-term care and loss of work productivity ar dramatic. At European level, the economic costs of road crashes are staggering, representing a public health problem that requires immediate action.

 

Living with the impact

You don't know how it feels until you lose someone or experience injuries in an crash 

Campaign full video - 2'04''

Campaign short video - 0'57''

 

WDoR Manifesto 2023

REMEMBER

Today, on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we come together to remember the countless people whose lives have been irrevocably altered, due to road traffic crashes. Beyond the cold statistics and fleeting headlines, it is essential to understand the deep and lasting impact that these events have on lives of individuals, families and society as a whole.

SUPPORT

Every year in Europe, thousands of people are injured with permanent consequences and many others lose their lives in road crashes. We remember and honour those who must learn to "live with the impact" of a road crashes. The emotional burden borne by victims and their families is often silent but overwhelming.

Each death is a tragedy that leaves a void that is impossible to fill in families. Each serious injury involves physical disability and psychological trauma that also affect people's quality of life, autonomy and self-esteem. The majority are invisible victims who do not receive an adequate post-crash response.

In addition to the personal impact, road crashes also imply an impact on society since the expenses associated with medical treatments, rehabilitation, long-term care and loss of work productivity are overwhelming. At European level, the economic costs of road crashes are staggering, representing a public health problem that requires immediate action. 

ACT

On this World Road Traffic Victims Remembrance Day, we call on society, governments and institutions. It is time to take concrete measures to prevent road crashes, support victims and create a road safety environment in which everyone can live without fear.

Let's make road safety a priority, in memory of the victims and in honour of those who live with the consequences. Let's take measures, raise awareness and work together for a future where road crashes are a sad memory of the past and not a present reality.

The history
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, also known by its abbreviated name WDoR, was established in the early 1990s on the initiative of several FEVR member organisations of road victims, with the main objective of remembering and honouring road victims and raising public awareness of the importance of road safety. At first, the FEVR, together with the founder of the British RoadPeace association, Brigitte Chaudry, later FEVR president, thanks to the latter's tireless work, played a key role in promoting this commemoration internationally through the federation's network of associations and contacts. Thus it was that in 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted The World Day through Resolution 60/5, on improving global road safety, by "designating the third Sunday in November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, in recognition of road traffic victims and their families' loss and suffering". The same day was later recognised as the National Day of Road Victims in several European countries. The FEVR, is a member of the UN Road Safety Collaboration, with which it has been actively cooperating since the establishment of the working group in the early 2000s.
The mission
WDoR, by its very nature, does not want to limit itself to remembering the people we have lost, but urges action to prevent road crashes and progressively reduce the number of victims through all means, towards the "Vision Zero", i.e. the achievement of zero victims on world's roads. The Day, through various activities, awareness-raising campaigns and commemorative events, therefore aims to stimulate the consciences of both institutions and the community as a whole so that remembrance does not end in the space of a day but is transformed into concrete proposals for change, according to the principle that road safety is a shared responsibility, between citizens and institutions: let's all stand together for life!

Available material

On this page you will find a series of resources and material related to the WDoR, prepared with care and dedication to help you spread the message by joining us in this just cause.

Join us to honour the victims and leave safer roads for the next generation.

Join us on this day: Remember, Support, Act!

Our poster of WDoR 2023

Here you can download the poster, in editable version to be able to translate the slogan to your language. You can also add your logo in the upper right corner. You can choose between different versions that show different situations experienced by those affected by road crash victims.

An editable version in pdf is available, please leave all logos in.

 

Campaign Toolkit

We invite you to use our toolkit specially designed for the WDoR23 social media campaign. You can download the material and add a sentence you want to highlight or an image of the activities your NGO is organizing. You can also add your logo.

 

The Book: "Stories to be told, Voices to be heard" 

The FEVR Book is a touching collection of stories, experiences of family members of victims; it also includes forewords of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health of the World Health Organization, Mr. Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council, Saul Billingsley, Executive Director of FIA Foundation.

The Book was officially launched in November 21 and published in both electronic and paper formats.

 

Activities WDoR 2023

Share with us the activities you have planned to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims

 

WDoR 2022