European Commission participates in World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and presents final road safety figures for 2019

Sunday 15 November marks the 25th World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a day to remember those killed or injured on the roads.

The day also marks the European Commission’s presentation of the final road safety figures for 2019, which show a decrease by 3% of road fatalities in the EU compared to the previous year. While this trend is encouraging, 22 700 people still lost their lives on EU roads in 2019, and about five times more were seriously injured. This is why the Commission is taking major steps and working closely with Member States and stakeholders to reach its goal of ‘Vision Zero’, zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050, in line with the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030.

EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said: “Remembering is essential. It keeps us motivated to reach our goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050 on the European roads. This is what we fight for. We will not stop until we get there. But the most important thing is to act and have concrete measures to move things quicker towards our final goal of zero fatalities on the road. We are working with the Member States to determine which measures work best, to learn from each other in a spirit of constructive partnership. My deepest sympathy to all those who have lost a loved one in a car crash, my support for the survivors and my appreciation for all those who have taken on our common mission to make the roads safer.”

The Commission is also publishing a report monitoring Member States’ progress towards the EU target of 50% fewer road deaths by 2020.

Remember. Support. Act.

The objectives of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2020, under the headline “Remember. Support. Act.”, are to provide a platform for road traffic victims and their families to:

• remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
• acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services;
• advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families;
• promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries.