World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2010 in Portugal Sunday, November 21, 2010

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Victims is approaching. This year it will be held on November 21 (third Sunday of the month). ACA-M and other associations have celebrated this day since 2001. In 2004, they founded Estrada Viva - League against Trauma, which adopted the celebration of the Memorial Day. The European Federation of Road Traffic Victims initiated the creation of the World Day, which was adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2005.

Santarém will be the city chosen to centralize this year's Memorial Day celebrations in Portugal.

Activities - Santarem:

• 09.30 Simulation of extrication / des-incarceration [W-Rotunda Shopping]
• 10.15 Walk in remembrance of road victims [W-Shopping - Garden Liberty - LGO. Seminar]
  Participation: Elementary and Secondary Schools, Scouts, Clubs Motorcyclists, PSP - Public Safety Police, GNR - Guarda Nacional Republicana, Firemen, Red Cross and INEM - National Institute for Medical Emergencies.
• 11.00 Mass at the Cathedral [Church Seminar]
• 12.30 Release of Pigeons [Largo City]
• 13.00 Lunch
• 14.30 Laying Flowers and Lighting Candles on the Memorial to road victims {EN3 – Portela Rotunda of the Bakers}
• 15.30 Opening of Photographic Exhibition about road memorials, Valter Vinagre
• 16.00 Solemn Session {Ballroom CMS}
  ESTRADA VIVA – League Against Trauma
  Testimonials of Relatives of Road Crash Victims
• 17.30 Choir
• 18.15 Cocktails
  Book Launch "It wasn't not my fault: guilt and driving behaviour on Portuguese roads", by Maria Joao Martins (published by ACA-M)
• 19.00 Deposition of Flowers and Candles on the Memorial to Road Victims [EN3 - Wall ESAS]

As in previous years, the - League Against Trauma will promote next Sunday, Nov. 21, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Victims in various locations around the country.

The central ceremony will take place this year in Santarém, in collaboration with the local authority.

The spirit of this celebration is that giving the public memory of those who lost their lives on Portuguese roads and streets signifies a recognition by the state and society, the tragic dimension of accidents, and help survivors cope with traumatic and painful memories resulting from road accidents.

In several associations that are part of the ESTRADA VIVA- League Against Trauma, many of its members are people affected – who lost loved ones or who have been injured. Their actions focus on the campaign for better traffic conditions on Portuguese roads and for support to victims of crashes.

Remembrance Day thus responds to the intense need felt by the victims and their loved ones to see their loss and their grief publicly acknowledged.

We invite you to join us for this event in solidarity with their presence at the ceremonies taking place in Santarém, as the programme we present below. Besides the central ceremony in Santarem, there will also be celebrations in Evora.

We also thank all the assistance in promoting this ceremony, through the dissemination of this call and campaign materials that can be viewed and downloaded here: http://estradaviva.org/