World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – 15th November 2015

If you have ever lost a loved one due to a road crash, you will know that words cannot describe the devastation caused. It is impossible to articulate how helpless and lost you feel as you try to come terms with an accident which is usually always avoidable.

RoadPeace are a national charity set up to help victims of road crashes. CFG Law are part of their legal panel, and provide help and support to both those seriously injured after a road crash and bereaved families to help them fight for justice and claim compensation following a road collision. As serious injury solicitors, we are proud to work alongside the charity to provide high quality advice and access to justice for those who have faced such a tragedy.

‘Word Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’ is an international event aimed at raising awareness of road crashes and the devastation they cause.

According to the World Day of Remembrance website http://worlddayofremembrance.org/about/ it is intended “to remember the many millions killed and injured on the world’s roads, together with their families, friends and many others who are also affected. It is also a day on which we thank the emergency services and reflect on the tremendous burden and cost of this daily continuing disaster to families, communities and countries, and on ways to halt it.”

Every day, across the world, almost 4,000 are killed in road crashes, with hundreds of thousands injured. In the UK, 5 people on average die needlessly every day and 1 in 75 of us will be bereaved through a road crash during our lifetime. Many thousands of people therefore become victims who must cope with the grief of losing a loved one in a road accident. These are shocking statistics, especially given that records indicate that most road crashes are due to human error.

After decades of difficult campaign work, RoadPeace have been successful in ensuring that those who are injured by drunk, drugged, speeding, careless, and mobile phone using drivers are treated as the victims of crime that they are. The Government has recently announced the new Victims’ Code and the Ministry for Justice has agreed a new and proper definition of a “victim of crime”. These measures will at last, give families bereaved through a road crash, the same rights and assistance as those who are left bereaved due to other crimes.

Crispin Balmer, a serious injury solicitor at CFG Law commented, “In our 25 years’ of practice, CFG Law has handled countless claims related to road crashes, including a high number of truly devastating serious injury and fatality cases. Any loss of life is a tragedy, but when a death is caused by somebody’s poor judgement on the road, be it through speeding, using a mobile phone or consuming alcohol or drugs, it is a crime and we are pleased to hear that it will now legally be classed as such. Families and other loved ones will need expert support at this time. CFG Law always provides a compassionate service and focus on helping families through this most difficult of times. We will be recognising World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and urge everyone to use this day to consider just how devastating, a lapse in concentration behind the wheel can be.”

Every year, the third Sunday of November is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

The next World Day is on Sunday 15 November 2015

This day focuses on both the overall scale and the individual devastation caused by road deaths and injuries and the impact upon families and communities around the world.  Almost 4,000 people are killed and many hundreds of thousands injured on roads throughout the world every day.  Many more have to cope with bereavement or the effects of injury and thus become part of the huge group of people affected by road carnage.