PRESS RELEASE
Lusaka, Sunday, 19th October 2017: Today, Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST) will join the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) and other concerned stakeholders in commemorating the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2017 at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year to remember the millions of people killed and injured on the world’s roads and their families and friends. It is also a day to thank the emergency services for their role in saving lives; to reflect on the impact of road deaths on families and communities; and to draw attention to the need for improved legislation, awareness, infrastructure, technology, and post-crash response to save more families from the tragedy of losing a loved one. The World Day of Remembrance was founded by the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) and adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2005.

The theme of this year’s World Day of Remembrance is “2020 Target: Reduce Road Fatalities and Serious Injuries by 50%.” It refers to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 which calls on governments and their stakeholders, including NGOs and private citizens, to address the personal, medical, and financial burden that road deaths and injuries cause. 1.25 million people die as a result of road crashes every year and tens of millions are seriously injured. Road traffic crashes are the number one killer of young people aged 15–29 and the eighth leading cause of death among all people worldwide. It is estimated that in developing countries, between 1% and 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) is lost each year due to road traffic crashes.

The event which has been organized by the RTSA will be holding a march past from RTSA Dedan Kimathi Offices to the Cathedral for a candle lit vigil in church and will be joined by the Minister of Transport and Communications. The rest of the country will join in prayer and thoughts for all those that have lost loved ones through road crashes.

Mailos Mwale, Communications Advisor for ZRST said:

“With over 2000 people killed yearly on Zambia’s roads, the World Day of Remembrance is an important opportunity to stand together with the global community to commemorate road victims and call for an end to the crisis on our roads. No one should have to go through the needless, preventable loss of a child, a brother, a mother, a friend, killed in a road traffic crash. This year’s theme to reduce the number of deaths by 50% by 2020, reminds us of the need to drive responsibly, educate our children, and advocate with our governments to implement and enforce policies that will protect road users and prevent more families from suffering the pain of losing a loved one on the road.”