Benedict XVI Urges Prudence on Highways

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appealed for respect of road-safety norms on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

After praying the midday Angelus with the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square today, the Pope recited in French a prayer to the Lord to receive "in his peace all the persons who died in traffic accidents."

Remembering that the injured often suffer long-lasting problems, the Holy Father appealed "emphatically to automobile drivers to respect traffic norms vigilantly and to pay ever more attention to others."

Traffic accidents are one of the main causes of deaths in the world. In a 2005 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that these accidents, especially frequent in urban areas of developing countries, cause 1.2 million deaths a year, or 3,000 a day. Tens of millions of people are injured.

WHO estimated that, at current trends, by the year 2020 victims of traffic accidents will exceed those of AIDS.