The day was adopted by the UN in 2005 and has been embraced by a growing number of governments, NGOs and international organisations, and the FIA today joins with them in remembering the millions of lives needlessly lost as a result of preventable road accidents.

 

Commenting on the commemoration, FIA President Jean Todt said: “Today is a moment to pause and remember those lost on the world’s roads every year, and the loved ones who are affected daily by this tragedy. It is important that the international road safety community comes together and reinforces efforts to tackle this crisis which unfortunately still does not get the attention it deserves.”

 

Global Road Safety Ambassador Michelle Yeoh said: "Every road accident is a terrible tragedy for the families and persons involved. We think of those people today. Everyone should have the right to a safe journey whether it is to school, to work, or anywhere else. The international community needs to take action and devote the resources necessary to tackle road safety effectively."

 

In 2011 the FIA launched its Action for Road Safety campaign in support of the UN Decade of Action goal to save 5 million lives on the world's roads by 2020. Since then, the campaign has been adopted and promoted by the FIA’s Automobile Clubs around the world.  A large number of programs have already been implemented, ranging from awareness campaigns to educational and training programs aimed at every kind of risk linked to road use, whether that concerns drivers, passengers, cyclists or pedestrians.

 

The FIA is working with global road safety partners to mobilise the international community and engage international leaders on the issue, with the goal of giving road safety the place it deserves on the political agenda.

 

A priority in this regard is the integration of road safety into the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda as part of the Sustainable Development Goals which will follow on from the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, a move which would help raise much needed attention and resources to tackle the crisis.