In 2005, the United Nations set aside every third Sunday of November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

The day celebrated on November 20 this year aims to acknowledge and bring to mind the victims of road traffic injuries and deaths, including the impact of this neglected crisis on their families.

Since the resolution was made, the observance has been promoted worldwide by many governments, international agencies and other non-governmental organisation working in the field of road safety.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration take lead in encouraging governments and all road safety stakeholders to commemorate the day.

This is the day to pay tribute to those who have died on various roads worldwide, advocate for better support for victims and bereaved families as well as to promote action to save lives.

Since its inception, the commemoration has been widely adopted by an increasing number of countries, gaining significance through various activities such as recognising the road-crash victims.

It also acts as a platform to raise public awareness on the devastating impact of road traffic accidents to the victims emotionally and economically, as well as their dependents and loved ones.

Among others, the day promotes the work of rescue services to the victims.

This year’s observance cannot go without a word and reflections.

Here are few things Malawi needs to reflect on as one of the countries with the worst road carnage.

This is the day we need to remember our friends and relatives who were killed, injured or even disabled as a result of accidents on the roads of Malawi.

Widespread road accidents keep claiming lives of children, the youth, parents and other economically productive citizens in Malawi.

This day should bring to our attention the pertinent legal issues in response to liability of road deaths and injuries.

This has been a sticky issue as many victims of road traffic accidents do not get the necessary and deserved compensations mostly due to lack of awareness.

Recently, there have been rising cases of death and injuries resulting from motorcycle taxis popularly called kabaza.

Healthcare facilities such as Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre are inundated with kabaza operators and passengers that often come in critical condition to seek treatment.

Injuries from road crashes can take six to eight weeks to heal. Some take longer or a lifetime, depending on the gravity.

Just like that, injuries from road accidents contribute to economic losses on the part of individuals, their families and the nation.

These losses include the cost of work that the injured can no longer do, their treatment bills, lost productivity for those killed or permanently disabled and family members who have to take time off duty or school to care for the victims.

The tragedy is that most of the high-risk motorcycles are not even insured or registered at the Department of Road Traffic and Safety Services. This deprives the victims of compensations.

It is high time Malawi started observing this day to educate the nation about the impoverishing impacts of traffic accidents.

Both police and DRTSS should ensure that motorcyclists are insured and properly registered for easy identification and compensation payouts.

This requirement should apply to all who transport people even in both rural and urban settings.

Government and road safety campaigners need to support these victims of traffic accidents more since most of them are economically active people. Many get injured while pursuing some business to support themselves or their families. This becomes worse where the injury can result in permanent disability.

Besides, insurance companies, especially motor vehicle insurers, should take this day as an opportunity to support road safety awareness initiatives.

It is surprising that most corporate players seldom participate in raising public awareness on road safely although reducing the road carnage would help save the lives of their workers and customers as well as the costs.

The commemoration should therefore remind us of the importance of road safety awareness and promote evidence-based actions to stop deaths or injuries occurring on our roads.n

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