The annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims will be observed on Sunday, November 16. This will be the fifteenth time the memorial day is held in Iceland. This year, special attention will be given to seat belt use, particularly among young men, as surveys have shown a noticeable decline in belt use within this group.

Memorial ceremonies will be held around the country to mark the occasion, where the victims of traffic accidents will be remembered with a one-minute silence. A long-standing memorial ceremony will take place at the helicopter landing pad by the Emergency Department of Landspítali Hospital in Fossvogur at 2:00 PM.
President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir and Minister of Infrastructure Eyjólfur Ármannsson will deliver speeches, and a personal account will be shared describing the consequences of traffic accidents.

The official song of the day is “When I Think of Angels” by KK, performed by him and Ellen, written in memory of their sister who died in a traffic accident in the United States in 1992. The song will be played simultaneously on all radio stations at 2:00 PM on the day of remembrance. The Reykjavík Queer Choir will perform the song live at the Fossvogur ceremony this year.

An International Day of Remembrance

The purpose of the day is to honor those who have lost their lives in traffic accidents and to encourage everyone to reflect on their personal responsibility in traffic. It is also a strong tradition on this day to thank the professional groups who work in rescue and emergency care when accidents occur, for their important and selfless service.

The memorial day is international, held under the auspices of the United Nations, which has dedicated the third Sunday in November to this remembrance. Approximately 3,600 people die and hundreds of thousands are injured in traffic every single day around the world.

Since the first recorded fatal accident in Iceland on August 25, 1915, a total of 1,632 individuals have lost their lives on Icelandic roads (as of October 30, 2025). Many more have suffered serious injuries, and continue to face trauma, grief, and loss as a result.

The memorial day is organized by the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Icelandic Transport Authority, ICE-SAR (Landsbjörg), Emergency Line (112), the Police, the Icelandic Road Administration, and the ÖBÍ Disability Alliance. Representatives of various emergency and response agencies also take part in the memorial event, and cakes are brought to the emergency department staff at Landspítali in Fossvogur as a gesture of gratitude.

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