By Roula Asmar Chami
Every year, the third Sunday of November marks the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a day dedicated to honoring the millions of lives lost or injured on roads worldwide. This day also recognizes the suffering of the families and communities affected by road accidents.
Traffic accidents remain a major cause of mortality on a global scale, particularly among young people aged 15 to 29. Despite technological advancements and road safety measures, millions of people continue to suffer the devastating consequences of dangerous roads, reckless behaviors, and a lack of awareness.
By honoring the memory of those who lost their lives, the World Day of Remembrance encourages solidarity, education, and commitment to safer roads for all. Furthermore, it is a moment to pause, reflect, and commit to protecting lives by making roads safer everywhere.
This day is a call to action for governments, organizations, and individuals to strengthen road safety policies, improve infrastructure, and promote responsible driving behavior. Additionally, it reminds us of the importance of supporting victims and their families—by offering not only justice but also compassion and rehabilitation.
A Bitter Reality: Every Turn Can Be the Last
In Lebanon, this problem is dangerously escalating, and a genuine cry of alarm is imperative. Roads are becoming the stage for human tragedies every day, claiming lives, shattering families, and leaving behind pain, emptiness, and injustice. Consequently, in the face of this reality, inaction is no longer an option; it is both a moral duty and a pressing need to act, to raise awareness, to take strict measures, and to apply firm sanctions to prevent these tragedies and protect lives.
This is a call for responsibility, respect for the rules, and caution. It is about transforming pain into awareness, so that every journey is no longer a risk, but a step towards life.
Road safety is everyone’s business: pedestrians, car, truck, and motorcycle drivers… Every gesture counts, every act of vigilance saves a life. Let us commit together to safer roads.
The latest statistics on road accidents in Lebanon are alarming:
- From January to May 2025: 876 accidents were recorded, causing 162 deaths and 1,034 injuries.
- In eight months of 2025, there were already 1,693 accidents, 346 deaths, and 2,754 injuries according to NGO estimates.
- A study indicates that the road mortality rate in Lebanon stands at 22.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants—one of the highest rates in the world.
These figures underscore the urgency for reinforced action: law enforcement, improvement of road infrastructure, and collective mobilization for responsible driving.
A Shattered Life, A Battle That Begins:
The pain of parents: they are the silent victims of road accidents.
They are the ones who see their world collapse in a split second.
They live a profound, lasting suffering that never truly fades.
Losing a child or a loved one under such circumstances leaves an immense void, a wound that words struggle to describe.
They face not only the loss but also a feeling of injustice, often aggravated by the slowness of judicial procedures and the weight of the silence surrounding their suffering. This ordeal turns their entire lives upside down, destroys their plans, and leaves an indelible scar on their hearts.
Beyond the pain, there is also this fight for justice: obtaining fair compensation, ensuring responsibility is acknowledged, and that the guilty are sanctioned.
This battle requires courage, perseverance, and support from the whole of society.
It reminds us of the importance of a genuine collective awareness to prevent these tragedies and protect lives.
In their memory, our commitment to road safety must be constant, firm, and united.
For many, every day is a struggle to keep moving forward, to find meaning in this tragedy, and to honor the memory of their deceased child. Their pain reminds everyone of the crucial importance of prevention and road safety.
This mother who can no longer sleep since her child left too soon, struck down by imprudence or recklessness.
This father who, behind his silence and apparent strength, hides an infinite pain, a void that nothing can fill.
We often talk about numbers, statistics… but behind every number, there is a story, a name, a smile, a shattered future.
And families forever scarred.
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is also for them. To tell them they are not alone. That their grief matters. That their pain must become a cry of alarm to preserve other lives.
Let us no longer trivialize these tragedies.
Let us be the voice for those who no longer have one.
And let us remember that road safety is a shared responsibility: it begins with you, with me, with all of us.
The parents of victims live a profound grief, a persistent injustice, and a daily battle to make their voices heard.
Every day is a struggle to keep the memory of their children alive and to demand justice.
They move forward with hearts heavy from a stolen future, unfinished projects, and a void that nothing truly fills.
Reconstruction: Moving Forward with Their Wounds
The loss of a loved one in a road accident is a devastating ordeal that forever marks the lives of families. For many, this tragic moment symbolizes the end of an essential part of their existence, a profound emotional shock that gives way to a long and painful grief.
This grief is often described as hard and endless, as it is accompanied by a constant struggle to accept the absence and continue moving forward despite the suffering.
Beyond the human loss, the consequences extend to all aspects of family life. Shared plans are brutally interrupted, shared dreams become impossible to realize, and they must rebuild a transformed daily life, often with a profound feeling of abandonment.
This reconstruction requires immense strength, a courage that few can imagine. It involves gradual acceptance, psychological support, and often the search for justice, in the hope that acknowledging responsibility might ease the pain a little.
Society has a key role to play, not only in strengthening road safety but also in supporting these families in their journey, so they are not alone in facing their suffering.
The Importance of Psycho-Social Support for Victims’ Families:
Associations play an essential role in supporting families affected by the loss of a loved one in a road accident. They offer precious support, both human and legal, allowing families not to face this difficult ordeal alone.
Psychological support is also fundamental. Parents and loved ones emphasize the necessity of professional support to overcome the trauma, rebuild themselves, and learn to live with the pain.
This support, combined with better road safety measures, helps alleviate the burden on victims and their families, and preserves their dignity in a moment of great vulnerability.
The pain of parents who are victims of road accidents is an invisible wound, but one that is deeply marked. Their experience reminds us that behind every statistic lies a shattered life, a family in mourning, an interrupted story.
To prevent, raise awareness, educate, but also to listen to and support these families, is to show humanity and collective responsibility, because no family should have to mourn a loved one lost too soon due to an avoidable fault on the road.
Behind every accident, there is an empty chair, a voice that is no longer heard, a bleeding heart. Road safety is not simply about respecting the code… it is about respecting life.
Roula Asmar Chami
Social Worker
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