MVI's impact everyone

Photo: Contributed

It may not be as big as some memorial services, but organizers of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims are hoping to change that.

Police officers, associations supporting families of road victims, governments and communities across the world will gather today to remember those who died or were injured in road traffic crashes.

In Kelowna, the ceremony is sponsored by One Crash is too Many and will be held at Waterfront Park by the dolphins, at noon.

Organizer, Castanet columnist and personal injury lawyer Paul Hergott says the sixth annual event is an important reminder of how dangerous our roads can be.

"It's important, I think that at least once a year, we pause to reflect on the serious impacts and hopefully that will cause us to make changes," he says.

The Kelowna event will coincide with events around the world. "Every day or two in British Columbia, someone is killed and according to ICBC statistics for every death hundreds of lives are changed forever."

On average, there are 36,000 vehicle related crashes reported to ICBC in the Southern Interior each year. Of those, more than 100 are fatal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, road crashes are the leading cause of death in people aged between five to 34 years. It is the leading cause of death globally for children and young people aged between 10 to 24 years, and the third-leading cause of death globally among people aged between 30 to 44 years. Every six seconds someone is killed or injured on the world’s roads, including drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.