Ahmedabad observed the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) 2025 with a clear message: road crashes continue to cut short thousands of promising lives. The theme “Lost Talents” pushed participants to recognise the human cost and the urgent need for safer road systems

Why World Day of Remembrance 2025 Matters

On November 21, the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) campus brought together CEE, the Gujarat Road Safety Authority (GRSA), Active Traffic Consultative Committee (ATCC), Road Safety Network Gujarat, and the AmdaVadmA program for a collective observance of WDoR 2025.

This year’s theme, “Lost Talents,” focused on people whose skills, ambitions and potential were lost to road crashes. The accompanying tagline — “Remember. Support. Act.” — served as a reminder that remembrance must be followed by action.

Families at the Centre

The event began with sharing sessions from families who have lost loved ones in road crashes. These accounts were straightforward, emotional and grounded in lived experience. They highlighted the ongoing physical, emotional and financial impact on households across Gujarat.

What Officials Highlighted

Simple Safety Behaviour Saves Lives

Sanket Patel, Chief Enforcement Officer, GRSA, noted that many road deaths can be prevented through basic safety measures — especially helmets and seatbelts.

He stated that fatalities among two-wheeler riders could be reduced by half if correct helmet use reached universal levels. He called this a “low-hanging” action for improving road safety across the state. – Sanket Patel, CEO, GRSA

Insights From 108 Emergency Calls

Satish Patel, Head of Operations, EMRI 108 Gujarat, shared that out of nearly 5,000 calls received daily, around 450 are linked to road crashes. These range from minor injuries to critical situations.

He added that new tools, including Location-Based Services (LBS) and the Merit Tool, help ambulances reach victims in an average of 12 minutes, improving the chances of timely care.

Panel Discussion: Renewing Commitment

The panel discussion brought together key representatives from enforcement, technology, civil society and data systems. The panel featured Sanket Patel from the Gujarat Road Safety Authority (GRSA), Himanshu Mehta from the National Informatics Centre, Dr Pravin Kanabar of ATCC, and Aviral from the TUL Foundation, with moderation by Tushar Jani of CEE. The conversation focused on practical, evidence-based steps to reduce road crashes in Gujarat.

Panellists highlighted the need for stronger coordination between agencies, better use of technology in enforcement and emergency response, improved and reliable data systems, and the expansion of interventions that have already shown measurable impact. Throughout the discussion, there was a shared recognition that sustainable progress will require continuous collaboration among government bodies, institutions, NGOs and communities.

Panellists discussed practical steps to prevent road crashes, such as:

1. Integrating technology into enforcement
2. Strengthening data systems
3. Improving coordination between agencies
4. Scaling interventions already proven to work

The emphasis remained on sustained, coordinated action rather than isolated efforts.

The Way Forward

The event ended with a collective call to continue working toward: The event ended with a collective call to continue strengthening road safety efforts across Gujarat. Participants stressed the need for safer road infrastructure, consistent and fair enforcement of traffic rules, improved legal accountability for road offences, and stronger support systems for crash victims and their families. The message was clear: meaningful progress will require ongoing commitment from government agencies, civil society, corporates and individual citizens alike.

Civil society groups, corporates, educational institutions, government bodies and individual citizens were all urged to take responsibility for reducing preventable road deaths in Gujarat.