The special midday Mass at the National Marian Shrine will commemorate, “all those who have died on our roads and their families, along with all road-users who have been involved in accidents,” according to the celebrant, Fr Patrick Burke.
He explained that the Remembrance Day activities taking place across the country are, “designed to bring the families of those who were injured or killed together and to let them know that support exists for them and that they are not alone.”
He said that while the focus in Knock would be the Mass of Remembrance, there would also be an opportunity for those attending it to meet each other afterwards; offer each other support; and to share their experiences.
“Our ceremony will also be an opportunity to recognise and commend the work done by all the professionals involved in the aftermath of a crash: priests; the fire services; An Garda Síochána and PSNI; the ambulance service; paramedics; nurses; doctors and counsellors,” Fr Burke said.
Elsewhere a day of special prayers will take place in more than 30 churches of all denominations across Co Carlow and a Mass will be celebrated in Cork’s Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne, attended by emergency services and crash survivors.
On Friday in Dublin, the road safety group PARC (Promoting Awareness, Responsibility and Care on our Roads) launched, Finding Your Way - A Guide for Victims Following the Death or Serious Injury of a Loved one in a Road Traffic Collision, to mark World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister, Leo Varadkar, said the scale of the deaths should force people to reflect on their own driving.
“Since 1959, 23,227 people have been killed on our roads, more than the population of the town of Athlone,” he said. “And for every life lost on our roads, hundreds more are devastated by the loss,” he underlined, adding, “World Remembrance Day gives us all an opportunity to remember the victims of road crashes, the families grieving for their loss and the communities shattered by these tragedies.”
Bishop Liam MacDaid of Clogher said in a statement issued for the October bank holiday weekend that care for one another in our community is a basic human value that travels across different faiths and cultures.
“This duty of care also applies to our road use and it is fundamental to the common good of all in society,” he warned. “As individuals we have an obligation to exercise a duty of care to other road users by improving our driver behaviour and, at a public policy level, this improved behaviour should be matched by effective strategic planning and resourcing,” he said.
According to the RSA, over 3,400 men, women and children are killed every single day on the world’s roads while walking, cycling or driving. Another 20–50 million people are injured each year and tens of thousands are disabled for life.
“The sheer size of the death toll is staggering. The devastation that these incidents wreak on victims, their families, friends and communities is incalculable. The tragedy is worsened as it is mainly the young and healthy, those in the prime of life and supporting their families, who are killed,” the Road Safety Authority stated.
The Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was first held in 1993 in Britain and has been organised since then by non-governmental organisations in a number of countries.
It was established to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and the plight of their loved ones who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these events.
On October 26 2005, the UN adopted a resolution that called for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Observation of this day provides an opportunity to draw the public’s attention to road traffic crashes, their consequences and costs, and the measures that can be taken to prevent them.
The day also provides an opportunity to remind governments and society of their responsibility to make roads safer.
In the RSA’s view, “While road traffic deaths are counted in the year they occur, a family remains bereaved forever. The bereaved are not counted or included in road traffic injury data. Many others remain deeply affected by the loss of a friend, colleague, neighbour or member of the community. The effect on the emergency services, whose work involves facing the consequences of crashes on a daily basis, is also profound.”
To mark World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims the RSA has developed a, Wall of Remembrance, on its official Facebook page, where people can share their memories, light a candle and leave a memorial message for a loved one who has died on the roads.
Other World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims events include:
- Donegal & Derry: A commemorative mass will be held in St Connell’s church Glenties Co Donegal at 11:00am and a Mass is planned to take place in St Brigid’s Church, Carnhill, Co Derry at 12:30pm. A special service will also take place in Kilbarron Parish, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
- Louth: A special memorial Mass will take place in the Augustinian Church, Drogheda, Co Louth at 1:15pm. Prayers will also be offered for victims of road traffic collisions at services throughout the county.
- Westmeath: Westmeath County Council and the Irish Road Victims Association are holding a special ceremony in Mullingar. It will take place at 4:00pm in Belvedere House and Gardens. They will be planting a tree to remember all of those who have lost their lives on our roads. Those attending will be invited to take along a photograph of their loved ones and to float a candle on the lake afterwards in their memory. Balloons of remembrance will also be released following the tree planting ceremony.
- Meath: Prayers are being said for victims of road traffic collisions at all Masses in County Meath during the weekend of November 17 and 18.
- Galway: A minute’s silence will be held ahead of the Galway Hurling County Final in memory of all victims of road traffic accidents, at Pierce Stadium Sunday at 2:00pm.
- Offaly: Special prayers will be offered in Masses throughout Ferbane Parish, Co Offaly on Sunday.
- Kerry: A special service will be held at St Mary’s Church Listowel on Sunday at 9:00am in memory of those who have tragically lost their lives on Irish roads.