Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership is inviting the public of all faiths to a special service to remember those whose lives have been lost or injured on Warwickshire’s roads.  The service will take place at The Old Shire Hall in Warwick at 11am on Sunday 17 November – the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims #WDOR2024. 

Built in 1750 The Old Shire Hall is a magnificent Grade I listed historic building and the Main Hall is a fitting location for the service.  Guests are invited to arrive at the main blue doors for Old Shire Hall on Northgate Street (CV34 4SP).

The one hour service is open to everyone, and offers an opportunity to gather together to personally remember a loved one, friend or relative and to collectively show commitment and support for safer roads in Warwickshire.  Faith leaders, civic leaders, representatives from the emergency services and key road safety partners have also been invited.

The service will start promptly at 11am and will be led by National Police Chaplain Matthew Hopley with songs throughout from the BIG SING Choir.  The service will contain the lighting of a candle of remembrance and there will be the opportunity for the congregation to place a leaf to represent their loved one or a photograph on the memorial tree.  

During the service, we will hear from two individuals directly affected by road traffic collisions who have bravely come forward to share their personal experiences of the ‘ripple’ effects of a collision and how it has affected their lives in the years that followed.

This will be followed with a poem read by Jami Blythe from the road safety charity Brake.

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “The annual service on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims has become a poignant opportunity each year to come together and remember all those who have lost their lives on our county’s roads, or who have been affected by a serious injury collision. It allows the whole community to show support and solidarity for those left behind to deal with the consequences.

“It also acts as a reminder to us that all deaths and injuries on our roads can be prevented and that we all have a responsibility to use the highway network safely. Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has set a target of halving all road casualties in the county by 2030 and, ultimately, we want to get to a position where no-one has to suffer the devastating consequences of a loss or serious injury.  By gathering together with those directly affected by collisions, as road safety partners we can reaffirm our collective desire to make a better future for all road users.”

A Remembrance Service ‘toolkit’ is also available on our website (https://warksroadsafety.org/warwickshireremembers/) with information and readings you can choose from to create your own service of remembrance at a time and place that suits you.

In Warwickshire we are fortunate to have a permanent memorial for road traffic victims located in the commemorative woodland at Hartshill Hayes Country Park in North Warwickshire. The memorial offers a quiet place for people to visit throughout the year to pay tribute to family members, friends, or colleagues.

We have also created an online space for people to leave a tribute to someone they have lost in a collision.  This can be anonymous if you wish.  Please do what’s right for you. (https://warksroadsafety.org/warwickshireremembers/)    

There are also services taking place in Coventry and Birmingham, please follow the link to find a service near you Events from November 1 – November 17 – RoadPeace 

Please follow Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership on Facebook @WarwickshireRoadSafety and Twitter @WarksRoadSafety and help us share information and advice to make our roads safer for everyone.  The hashtag #WDoR2024 is being used worldwide to support the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Notes for editors

In Warwickshire, during 2023, 27 people died on our roads (34 people in 2019), 260 people were seriously injured (282 in 2019) and 1007 people suffered slight injuries (1164 in 2019).  Road traffic collisions are the main cause of death for 17-24 year olds.