Memorable Activities to be Held on the Day to Remember MVA Casualties

19 November 2011

The World Day to Commemorate Road Traffic Casualties is celebrated every third Sunday of November. On this day the traditional commemoration activities will be held in Russian regions.

"We are using these activities as means to draw attention of Russians to the road safety issues - said Police Major-General  Victor Nilov, the Head of Department of Traffic Road Safety of the Russian Interior Ministry.

- Despite the steady reduction in incident statistics the number of accidents remains high; every year thousands of our fellow citizens are killed on the roads, tens of thousand more sustain injuries as a result of the motor vehicle accidents".

According to Victor Nilov, more than 80% of MVA could be prevented by the drivers.

"We are all well aware that only punitive measures will not solve the problem, - said the Major-General. - Conducting the activity to commemorate will remind all Russians once again about the urgency to observe the traffic rules as the life which is at stake is the most precious thing.

This year on November 20 in Omsk there will be a civil action held at the square of St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral.

Volunteers will be handing out leaflets and remembrance candles; this will be followed by showing a film about the road safety on a giant screen; this film was made specifically for the activity by the public organization "Risk Free Road Traffic".

At the end of the event there will be a "moment of silence" held to remember all those who were killed in motor vehicle accidents to be accompanies by the bell toll.

In the Kemerovo region the events to mark the Day of Commemoration of MVA Casualties is already underway.

For instance the activity "Offering a helping hand!" was conducted. The traffic police inspectors and priests of the Znamensky cathedral visited the trauma department of the Children Hospital where children with MVA injuries are treated.

The visitors reminded the children about the major road traffic safety rules, conducted a small scale theme quiz, gave each child a present - a toy and an icon, and, of course, wished a quick recovery.

On November 20 at 14:00 a memorial service will be held at the Znamensky Cathedral in Kemerovo to commemorate all casualties of the car accidents and the prayer will be raised for healing injured in MVA.

The clergymen will also touch on the issue of the traffic road safety in their Sunday sermons.

The propaganda rally "Black Wave" will follow; it will take place the fifth time.

This year the main focus will be placed of preventive activities to be conducted by the caravan participants addressing MVA involving pedestrians.

On two big screens installed in Kemerovo streets the film will be shown to draw attention to the MVA Casualty Memorial Day.

On the eve of the World Day to Commemorate Road Traffic Casualties the Head of the Russian traffic police Nilov Victor made a special address to the participants of the road traffic.

He specifically mentioned that only in current year the motor vehicle accidents claimed lives of more than 22 thousand people.

"The majority of these tragedies could have been avoided if drivers were not speeding, if drivers stayed away from drunk driving, if they had avoided foolish overtaking maneuvers... You can blame the bad road conditions or legislation loopholes, but the main cause of car accidents is the well known "human factor" - he said.

- This year a Decade of Action for Road Safety began all over the world, Russia inclusive.

Accounting for catastrophic implications on MVA, the enormous economic and demographic damage inflicted on the world, the community is requested to unite to oppose the increasing level of road accidents.

It has been for five years that the federal focus program to improve the road safety is effective in Russia resulting in bringing down the casualties number by 10 000.

The Russian Federation will continue moving in this direction.

The most important thing to understand today is the following:  in many ways the road safety depends on our behavior.

No sophisticated focus program or strict legislation, no comprehensive international initiative can solve this issue in fundamental manner if the mindset of participants of the road traffic remains the same.

Only if the attitude is changed we can hope that there will be less ground to have the Road Traffic Casualties Commemoration Day - Victor Nilov pointed out.

According to the resolution of the UN General Assembly each year on the third Sunday in November the International Day of Commemoration of the Casualties of the Motor Vehicle Accidents is held.

The idea of having this day was put forward by «RoadPeace» - a British charity foundation to help MVA casualties; this day is honored starting with 1993.

The organizations that joined the European Federation of Road Traffic Casualties respect this day for many years as a European Day of Commemoration of the Casualties of the Motor Vehicle Accidents.

In 1998 the Commemoration Day crossed the European borders and was recognized on other continents; in 2005 the resolution the UN General Assembly called upon all member countries to recognize the International Day of Commemoration of the Casualties of the Motor Vehicle Accidents.

Share




Comments

So that to post a comment you need to login the web site

News

We recommend to look



Login Register
Login Register