We will never forget them

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2015

Each year about 18 000 people die on South African roads and 150 000 others are injured. South African roads are our forgotten killer.

The International Transport Report Forum Annual Road Safety 2013 Report rated South Africa worst in terms of road fatalities out of 36 countries worldwide. The World Health Organisation concurs with its research showing that African roads are the most dangerous and within Africa, Nigeria and South Africa have the highest number of road fatalities.

The “World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims” on the 3^rd Sunday in November allows relatives of victims of road crashes the opportunity to commemorate the life of their loved one and to give testimony to the burden, both psychological and financial, of their loss. It also is an opportunity to thank the Paramedics, Traffic Officers and Doctors who look after the victims.

With the large percentage of South Africans grieving for a loved one lost in a road crash, this day has particular significance.

Each year, SADD holds an event to commemorate World Day of Remembrance.This year SADD is asking for relatives of victims of any road crash, not just drink drive crashes, to send t-shirts with the image of their loved one to us (the address is below). These t-shirts need not be new. By putting a face to a victim helps to send home the message that these are not statistics, they are people.

We ask you to spread this call for t-shirts and assist us in making this event a day that is truly all about these lost daughters, mothers, fathers, sons, grandparents, cousins or friends. Their lives will never be forgotten but there must be no more lives lost.

We hope that the impact of hundreds or thousands of faces whose lives were cut short will send a message to the government about the national tragedy that is occurring on our roads and impacting both on the economy and on the lives of families. 

Many of these deaths and injuries are very preventable and we ask the government to concentrate more on the enforcement of our very good laws.

The shirts will be donated to charity after the event. 

Members of the 'Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and Road Victims' at a recent meeting in Morocco. 

Please send your t-shirts to SADD by the 15th of November 2015:
SADD
59 Francis Staniland Drive
Montrose
Pietermaritzburg
3201
KZN

Or contact us: 033 3470103 or carosmit@sadd.org.za 

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