ROAD traffic victims from Warwickshire will be remembered in a special online service.
A virtual remembrance service is taking place on Sunday (November 15) at 3pm to honour those who have died in traffic accidents in the county.
The event, organised by Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, brings together organisations involved in road safety, along with those who have lost loved ones on Warwickshire’s roads.
This coming Sunday is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, started in the UK by the RoadPeace charity in 1993. It went on to become a global day of commemoration in 2005 when it was endorsed by the United Nations, making it a major advocacy day for road traffic injury prevention.
Originally due to be hosted at St Mary’s Church in Warwick, the service will instead be streamed to the public via the PCC’s Facebook and YouTube channels due to the pandemic and current lockdown.
Nationally, some 1,800 people die on UK roads each year – more than twice the number of deaths from homicides and terrorism combined.
Mr Seccombe said: “Any single death on our roads is one too many and during the service we will be taking some time to consider the suffering, grief and loss felt by those individuals and families who have been affected. We will also take time to remember those who have survived but have been left with life changing injuries.
“The impact on family and friends in every road death is immense and long-lasting. The ripple effects among whole communities can also be very significant and that’s why having a platform like this to bring people together in remembrance is something I have been keen to establish here in Warwickshire.
“While we cannot physically be together, I hope that this online event will provide comfort to anyone grieving for a loved one while also giving a focus for all of the work that is being done to reduce the numbers of people who suffer this world-shattering experience.”
Mr Seccombe, along with Chief Constable Martin Jelley and Chief Fire Officer Kieran Amos, will be among those speaking at the ceremony.
Also addressing the audience will be Elaine Kennell, who lost her daughter Trudi-Mae in a collision in Atherstone in 2017. Trudi-Mae’s boyfriend Ryan and another of their friends also died in the collision.
Viewers will also hear musical performance from the choir of St Mary’s.
Visit www.worlddayofremembrance.org and www.roadpeace.org for more information about the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Visit the PCC’s Facebook and YouTube pages at https://facebook.com/warwickshirepcc/live and https://tinyurl.com/yy9u63cr to watch the virtual remembrance service.
