As we approach the holiday season, it presents a welcome opportunity for us to stop and take stock of the things that are most important in life. At Zendrive, we believe that nothing is more critical than improving the safety of our roads, and to take a moment to remind ourselves, and you, why our mission is so dear to us.
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed on Sunday, November 19th this year. This somber day, marked each year as we prepare to take to the highways en masse for the holiday travel season, gives us all a chance to reflect upon the millions of lives that have been lost or forever altered on the world’s roads.
We ask that you please join us at Zendrive as we pause to observe this important day and consider the immeasurable costs of violent traffic incidents on our families, our lives, and our infrastructure. Each and every day, nearly 100 people die in traffic collision across the United States. This epidemic represents a true public health crisis in our nation, and at Zendrive, we are leading the charge to encourage our citizens, and our lawmakers, to step up and demand immediate, meaningful action.
The True Cost of Traffic Collisions
Despite the encouraging and uplifting advances in automotive safety, we still have a crisis on our hands.
Across the globe, nearly 1.3 million people – our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and more – are killed in traffic crashes each year. Another 20 to 50 million are injured or disabled, their lives permanently changed with scars that are both physical and mental, and that impact the lives of their loved ones around them, too.
Here in the United States, in the land of plenty, traffic incidents are still one of the leading causes of preventable death. In 2016 alone, more than 40,000 Americans lost their lives on our roads. Most startlingly of all, this presents a 14% jump in traffic deaths in the last two years, indicating that while our vehicles may be getting safer, our roads – and our behavior – are not.
With such a high percentage of these fatalities occurring to children, the frequent passengers on our trips, the need for change is all the more urgent. In the United States, traffic events are the leading cause of death among teenagers.
Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now.
What You Can Do to Take Action
That’s why we take our mission so seriously at Zendrive, committing our resources, our time, and our talent to helping end this epidemic. If you want to help, there’s lots you can do, too.
Please join Vision Zero and other similar road safety initiatives aimed at completely eliminating all preventable highway deaths, and making this nightmare a thing of the past. Consider supporting RoadPeace, Association for Safe International Road Travel, European Federation of Road Traffic Victims and other important organizations as well.
What’s more, Zendrive has compiled this robust list of driver safety tips designed specifically for teenagers, the most at-risk group on our roads. Please share it with friends, family, and the young people in your lives.
You can also raise awareness and show your support on social media by using the hashtag #WDR2017, and you can organize a local World Day of Remembrance event of your own by using the tools here.
* * *
Together, we can help end the epidemic of traffic fatalities and make our roads a safer place for us all.
