BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro's famed Christ the Redeemer statue lit up in yellow to mark launching of World Health Organization's action for road safety

Record ID: 346236

  • Title: BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro's famed Christ the Redeemer statue lit up in yellow to mark launching of World Health Organization's action for road safety
  • Date: 12th May 2011
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (MAY 11, 2011) (REUTERS) CHRIST STATUE BEFORE CHANGING COLOR SIGN READING 'CORCOVADO' (NAME THAT LOCALS CALL CHRIST STATUE) EXTERIOR OF TRAIN STATION THAT GOES TO THE STATUE TRAFFIC TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGING FROM GREEN TO YELLOW SIGN READING 'DECADE OF ACTION FOR ROAD SAFETY 2011-2020: TOGETHER WE CAN SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVES!" CHRIST STATUE TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES OF STATUE BEAUTY SHOT OF RIO TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES (NIGHTSHOTS) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVE MARCOS MUZAFIR AT STATUE CLOSE-UP OF MUZAFIR CHRIST STATUTE TURNING YELLOW CHRIST STATUE'S FACE IN YELLOW (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVE MARCOS MUZAFIR, SAYING: "It's a tragedy. It's an avoidable trauma and, if all governments raise their consciousness and people raise their consciousness, we can have an environment of safe traffic which is healthier for the whole world." HEAVY TRAFFIC IN STREET YELLOW CHRIST STATUE SILVA KLEBER, WOMAN IN WHEELCHAIR AFTER BEING HIT BY A CAR (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) SILVA KLEBER, MAN IN WHEELCHAIR AFTER BEING HIT BY A CAR, SAYING: "Our purpose is exactly that: to try and raise the consciousness of people that alcohol and driving don't go together. We're living proof of that." VEHICLE LIGHTS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC YELLOW CHRIST STATUE VARIOUS OF CATHOLIC PRIEST, FATHER OMAR, PRAYING YELLOW CHRIST STATUTE'S FACE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FATHER OMAR, SAYING: "It's a worldwide movement and Brazil is very well represented through our greatest symbol, Christ the Redeemer. We want, as brothers, as friends, to leave behind our positive message: peace in traffic, peace in society." YELLOW CHRIST STATUE AS SEEN FROM BEHIND YELLOW CHRIST STATUE AS SEEN FROM STREET
  • Embargoed: 27th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil, Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA50N4C9L162CVVV4J6IEH98264
  • Story Text: Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue was turned yellow on Wednesday (May 11) night as part of the worldwide launch of a United Nations' initiative aimed at reducing the number of road traffic victims.
    Authorities flipped the switch to mark the beginning of the World Health Organization's Decade of Action for Road Safety, which seeks to save 5 million lives from 2011 to 2020.
    "It's a tragedy. It's an avoidable trauma and, if all governments raise their consciousness and people raise their consciousness, we can have an environment of safe traffic which is healthier for the whole world," said WHO official Marcos Muzafir who attended the event.
    The statue that sits atop the 2,300-foot (700-meter) Corcovado mountain and dozens of other monuments around the world, including New York City's Times Square and London's Trafalgar Square, were lit up in yellow in a reference to the traffic light that signals drivers to take caution.
    A religious service was also held at the foot of the statue in tribute to the more than 3,500 people who die every day in road crashes, according to the WHO.
    "It's a worldwide movement and Brazil is very well represented through our greatest symbol, Christ the Redeemer. We want, as brothers, as friends, to leave behind our positive message: peace in traffic, peace in society," said Father Omar who led the mass.
    Nearly 1.3 million people die on the world's roads per year, and up to 50 million are injured according to the U.N. agency.
    Over the next decade, the United Nations will urge countries to improve the safety of roads and vehicles, to enforce traffic rules, reduce speed limits, carry out public awareness campaigns and other initiatives.
    Brazil's Health Ministry unveiled a campaign on Wednesday to reduce by half the number of victims of traffic accidents by 2020. According to the government's latest data, 38,000 Brazilians die every year in the country's roads.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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