Take Time for the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims

re-mem-brance (ri-mem-‘br-ens)
noun.   

  • the act or process of remembering
  • the state of being remembered

The third Wednesday in November is the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims in Canada – a day set aside to remember those killed or seriously injured on Canadian roads. It’s also a time to consider the victims’ friends and families who are left struggling with the sudden loss of people they love.

We choose not to use the word “accident” because these crashes are, more often than not, avoidable. Our number one priority here at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is to help people travel safely. Campaigns such as Shift into Winter and Cone Zone BC highlight the responsibilities we take on whenever we get behind the wheel. And our traveller information system, DriveBC, provides valuable insight into road conditions and events, so you can make educated decisions about travelling.

Now, road safety education is definitely valuable. But perhaps more impactful is hearing the personal stories of those who have experienced, and still experience, the grief associated with losing a loved one in a vehicle collision.

Did you know?

  • Speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving are the leading contributing factors for motor vehicle collisions.
  • Motor vehicle collisions are one of the leading causes of unintentional injury or death across all ages in BC.
  • Distracted driving contributed to an average of over 27 per cent of all motor vehicle incident fatalities from 2013 to 2022.
  • In BC, there are an average of nearly 284 deaths related to road crashes each year. (Average from 2018-2022.)
  • The age groups most affected by road crashes in BC are those aged 55-65: 16 percent of fatalities, followed by ages 46-55 and 26-35: both at 15% of fatalities each.
  • Road safety is a shared responsibility and each of us can take action to make our roads safer.

A couple of reminders for safe driving:

  • Using a handheld device while driving is against the law in British Columbia, so please LEAVE THE PHONE ALONE on the road; your primary focus while behind the wheel should always be on what is ahead of you.
  • Driving while under the influence is, as always, strictly prohibited by law and under enforcement.
  • Speed limits are for IDEAL road conditions. Please adjust your speed accordingly.

By remembering those people affected by road crashes, we are in a better mindset to take on the responsibilities of safe driving practices.

Thanks to ICBC for the numbers here that show the impacts of crashes.

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Page 1 of 2 comments on “Take Time for the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims”

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  1. Very important and necessary information, thank you.
    As I DO drive the speed limit or adjust speed to adverse conditions, most other drivers hate me for it! Nevertheless, safe driving has given me 40 years of accident-free driving – and providing me time and room to compensate for other drivers’ negligence.
    Just a suggestion: it would be lovely to have the weather forecast broken down for each of the more dangerous roads, and have it directly accessible right by the cams, so one can plan better on when to travel.
    Weirdly, Norway Meteorology has such a wonderful breakdown of BC’s weather in hourly increments: http://www.yr.no and put in for instance “Coquihalla Summit, BC, Canada”
    Blessings, Ronel