17 November - Plaque unveiling event to mark World Day of Remembrance

10:00AM: Councillor Wayne Barrett will welcome invited guests and members of the public;

Mayor Olwen Searle JP will be invited to unveil the Remembrance Day bronze plaque which will be located on the Terraced Wall at the Agonis Town Square, City of Gosnells, Western Australia;

Guest speakers will address the gathering on the topic of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims;

School children from a local school will attend and be provided with fifty Rosemary Plants as a memento of remembrance of the event;

Light refreshments will be available for the gathering.

Speech by Mr David Marshall (Managing Director of Wrightway Road Training Pty Limited)

The idea of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is for a local community, such as ours in the City of Gosnells, to participate in a global day of recognition. Recognition of what? You might ask.

Recognition that the consequences of road traffic crashes is a serious burden from a global perspective as well, as being a serious burden within our local community. Every year on our Earth 1.2 million people lose their lives as a result of vehicle crash trauma. In Western Australia 200 people are reported as fatalities ever year, as a result of crash involvement. Today we remember them.

The consequences of a crash can be devastating. When a crash victim dies so too do the hopes and aspirations of their family for that person. Tragically, often young passengers die needlessly, their only crime being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their early demise often signals an extended time of bereavement for their family, friends and associates. This is very human cost for such a tragic scene.

The burden for our community is this shared loss as well as the resultant and tangible financial burden. Sergeant Jack McGilvery once told me that when a person dies in a crash the cost to our community is one million dollars. And when a person is seriously injured the cost can reach a figure of three point five million dollars just for that single person’s crash involvement.

As a traffic officer Jack and his colleagues had the unenviable task of advising parents of the demise of their children after a crash. At first hand he saw the personal trauma when a human being realises that their loved one will never breathe again. They will never laugh; they will never cry their loved one will never be around again. Their demise is final; you will never see them again. All you have is the memories of their time on Earth.

So, today we consider in unison with our global community how we can focus on reducing the burden of road trauma. Peter Smith is a road safety professional. When Peter speaks he tells us of the pillars of road safety. There’s the pillar of technological development of equipment that contributes greatly to our modern day crash survival rate. There’s the pillar of enforcement that occasionally prevents errant drivers from reaching the scene of their crash. And there’s the pillar of driver education that supports the notion that one day safe driving practices will be consistently demonstrated by drivers within our community.

But, sadly today we cannot fix the problems associated with car crashes. It’s out of our hands. It is in the steering hands of our drivers. For they must now decide whether they participate in crash prevention or not!

For our part, today we simply raise awareness of the issue of road safety. We carry the original message from the first year the Remembrance Day was initiated during 1993 in the United Kingdom. The organisers created the day as a means 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 dreadful crashes.

On 26 October 2005, the United Nations adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year, as the 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 which can be taken to prevent them. The day also provides an opportunity to remind governments and society of their responsibility to make roads safer.

The World Health Organization, RoadPeace and the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims jointly participate in the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

It is envisaged, as the global road safety movement takes hold in countries around the world that the Remembrance Day will grow in strength and visibility. We are encouraged to use the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims as a platform to advocate improved road safety results.

In Western Australia this is the first time a community has participated in the Global Remembrance Day. It is hoped the embers of this day will ignite flames of interest in other Australian communities so our community awareness is heightened in how we can improve our road safety performance and help our drivers to prevent avoidable crashes in the future.

We have the good fortune of living in a developed society where we use great vehicles on great roads, and yet our drivers, passengers and pedestrians continue to die as a result of crash trauma. What part do our drivers play in these crashes? Is it possible that our drivers don’t know how to avoid a collision? As a society, it is incumbent on us to educate our drivers so they DO know how to avoid a collision? These questions and more must be answered if a serious reduction in road crash victims is to be achieved. The answers will be found if the correct questions are asked. Proper leadership will be the key to our future success regarding improved road safety results.

Today we recognise our local community’s participation in the global road safety initiative.

Today we witness the placement of a bronze plaque on our town hall wall as recognition of our local participation in the Global Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Today, we have selected a cluster of Rosemary plants to represent people that have lost their lives on Western Australian roads during this year.

The Rosemary plant is chosen because Scientists at the University of Cincinnati say that the scent of rosemary is an effective memory stimulant. Rosemary is a plant of Remembrance. Hence, its use in today’s proceeding. History and tradition states sprigs of rosemary when placed under pillows at night wards off evil spirits and bad dreams. This is in keeping with our wish today to create a mechanism so our drivers will ward off future crashes and survive to contribute in our future communal happiness and prosperity.

It is to be hoped that our action today sparks a flame of driver education that spreads like wildfire within our community so our drivers of the future are empowered to safeguard themselves and other road users so they can participate happily and achieve longevity for the benefit of all stakeholders within our society.

Our action today is to encourage drivers to think clearly before driving a vehicle in our shared road environment. Let’s plan to make a difference and drive to achieve survival through the avoidance of preventable crashes. Drive with priority: drive safely.