Chris Dodd: “I am proud to add my voice in support of H. Con. Res. 86, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of a world day of…”

“I am proud to add my voice in support of H. Con. Res. 86, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of a world day of remembrance for road crash victims. Each crash might seem to us, in its immediacy, like an isolated tragedy, but when we step back, we see that each has its part in a global crisis that is deepening year by year. The day of remembrance-- set by the United Nations General Assembly for the third Sunday of November--is not just for the 40,000 people who die in road crashes each year in America. It is for the 1.2 million who die in crashes in every part of the world and for the staggering 20 to 50 million who are injured. In fact, the World Health Organization predicts that, by the year 2020, the death rate from crashes each year will surpass the death rate from AIDS. True, many of these crashes are unique disasters, but that leaves many more whose causes are systemic and preventable. Unsafe roads, poor medical facilities, and inadequate driver education all contribute their share to the death toll. Unsurprisingly, the toll is highest, and rising, in middle- and low-income countries. Road safety, then, is an issue of economic justice. On the world day of remembrance, we will recall all of the victims of road crashes; we keep their families in our thoughts, and we pray for the full recovery of those still living. But our compassion for individuals must not obscure the bigger picture.”