A weekend of remembrance for victims of the road: find an event near you

A road safety charity is leading a series of events tomorrow to remember the 1.24 million people who are killed every year on the world’s roads - on what has been dubbed the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

There will be a church service in London in honour of those killed, at St James’ Church, Piccadilly, at 2.30pm, along with other services around the country, with the theme this year of ‘Speeding Kills – Design out Speeding’.

For a full list of other services around the country click here.

The charity RoadPeace is calling for the use of technologies such as speed limiters and black boxes to be fitted in vehicles, as well as a default urban 20mph limit.

Cynthia Barlow, RoadPeace Chair, said: “On World Day of Remembrance we stand together to remember the millions of people who have been killed on the world’s roads.

“We know that excessive & inappropriate speed causes road death and injuries; and we also know that when speeds are reduced, the number and severity of crashes are also reduced.

“So today we call on decision makers and car manufacturers to do all that they can to design out speeding. Until this happens our loved ones will continue to be killed in foreseeable and avoidable crashes.”

In addition to the church services, there is a remembrance ride today in Manchester, leaving from Platt Fields Bike Hub at 1.30pm and heading towards a ghost bike erected in the memory of Joshua Jarvis on Wilmslow Road.
Joshua, a film studies student in the city, was killed at the spot by a cement mixer in February. His family have since been involved in fundraising for RoadPeace.

Also today, hundreds of cyclists, pedestrians and other road users will make their way along the entire length of London’s Oxford Street accompanied by a horse-drawn hearse bearing an empty coffin in a protest billed as “The National Funeral for the Unknown Victim of Traffic Violence.”

The march, which begins at Bedford Square in Bloomsbury and concludes with a mass die-in at Marble Arch, is being co-ordinated by another campaign group Stop Killing Cyclists, and its off-shoot, Stop The Killing.

Stop Killing Cyclists was set up in November last year after six bike riders lost their lives in London within the space of a fortnight, and has staged a number of die-ins and protests at various locations in London over the past 12 months.

Protesters will gather on Saturday in Bedford Square from 12 noon, with the procession setting off at 1pm. It is scheduled to arrive at Marble Arch at 2pm, with those joining in encouraged to bring white wreaths, the laying of which will be followed by the die-in and a rally.