The International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) is a yearly campaign aimed at making the road users and pedestrians aware of the dangers at and around the level crossings. SAVE THE DATE: Next Edition to take place on 7 May 2013
Let’s go to two small but active countries in the uppper part of Europe along the Baltic sea : Latvia and Lithuania with around 3 millions inhabitants each
The Latvian Railways have made educational animation films on rail safety including at level crossings they are shown on tv or during famous hockey games. They organise safety courses at the Latvian Railway Museum. They make poster exhibitions around the country. They participate also in the most popular automotive tv programmes “Zebra”.
Distribution of safety leaflets at a level crossing in Lithuania, around Vilnius by representatives of the Lithuanian Railways, the Traffic Police and the National Safety Authority of the Republic of Lithuania.
Rail safety education of kids at the Vilnius Railway Museum
Let’s go back to Europe: Austria with 5430 level crossings
The Austrian Railways (ÖBB) together with the Austrian Road Safety Board (KfV) and the Austrian Ministry of Transport have been participating in the ILCAD campaign for several years now.
They made a big campaign this year using a new concept based on a mascot “Andreas Kreuz” and his “Assistants”!
The promotion by Andreas Kreuz and his assistants for Awareness Day 2011 was kicked off on 08 June at ÖBB’s Employees’ Day event in exhibition hall A in Vienna.
After a stage performance by Andreas Kreuz and his assistants, the promoters distributed flyers to the employees and stood by to answer questions regarding the Awareness Day.
As an additional means of advertising, the A1 display stand with driver’s license questions was placed in the anterior hall. Around 2 p.m. the promoters finished up their activities for ÖBB’s Employees’ Day in Vienna.
On the Awareness Day, a press conference with Federal Minister Bures was held in the new ÖBB building at Praterstern at 8:30 a.m. A short speech was followed by a photo shooting session with Andreas Kreuz and his team. As an additional highlight, a mobile City Light had been installed, on which the subject of the driver’s license questions was displayed.
Let’s stay on the North American continent: U.S.A. also a fascinating and huge country with 134 161 level crossings.
Operation Lifesaver http://www.oli.org the national, nonprofit rail safety education group in conjunction with the Association of American Railroads www.aar.org and railway companies: BNSF, Union Pacific and others made a joined action for ILCAD on 9 June 2011 to struggle against accidents at level crossings and make people aware of the dangers at level crossings and along the tracks. They held press events on June 9, 2011 in six states around the U.S. to unveil its Rail Safety Challenge – an interactive online learning program for professional truck drivers –to coincide with the observance of International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD). Other Operation Lifesaver events were held in 14 additional states during that week.
Mission and history of Operation Lifesaver inc. first created in the world.
Founded in 1972 when the average number of collisions at U.S. highway-rail grade crossings had risen above 12,000 incidents annually. To address this, the Idaho governor’s office, along with the Idaho Peace Officers and Union Pacific Railroad launched a six-week public awareness educational campaign called Operation Lifesaver to promote highway-rail grade crossing safety. After Idaho’s crossing-related fatalities fell that year by 43%, the successful program was adopted by Nebraska (1973) and Kansas and Georgia the following year. Within a decade it had spread around the country; in 1986 a non-profit national Operation Lifesaver office was created to help support the efforts of state OL programs and raise national awareness on highway-rail grade crossing issues.
Today Operation Lifesaver’s network of certified volunteer speakers and trained instructors offer free rail safety education programs in fifty states. We speak to school groups, driver education classes, community audiences, professional drivers, law enforcement officers, and emergency responders. Our programs are co-sponsored by federal, state and local government agencies, highway safety organizations and America’s railroads. Together we promote the three E’s – education, enforcement and engineering – to keep people safe around the tracks and railway crossings within our communities.
Crash test
BNSF loc in Colorado on 9th June 2011
Awareness of kids at a level crossing
Photo of volunteers in front of a Canadian Pacific train in Duluth on 9 June 2011
Let’s go to the North part of the American continent, a huge country where Mother nature is so impressive: CANADA with 37 000 level crossings
Established in Canada in 1981, Operation Lifesaver is a national public-rail safety program sponsored by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. Through partnerships with provincial safety councils, police, railways, the trucking industry and community groups, Operation Lifesaver is dedicated to saving lives by educating Canadians about the hazards surrounding highway/railway crossings and trespassing on railway property.
Operation Gareautrain en français, est un organisme national sans but lucratif axé sur la prévention des répercussions liées à des collisions entre des trains et des véhicules automobiles et aux intrusions sur les emprises des chemins de fer,
Their websites exist in two languages: English and French. Leur sites internet existent en deux langues : en anglais et en français.
Operation Lifesaver, Canada’s dedicated not-for-profit organization focused on preventing accidents associated with train collisions with motor vehicles and trespassing on rail property supported International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) 2011 on June 9th, 2011.
“Canadian Rail has an enviable safety record that is testimony to the tremendous efforts and dedication of rail operators, their employees and volunteers to educating Canadians about safety at level crossing,” said Operation Lifesaver National Director Dan Di Tota. “During ILCAD, Operation Lifesaver partners, Railway Association of Canada members and Transport Canada, asked parents, youth, teachers, emergency response providers, and motorists to take responsibility for their safety around rail property and to learn more about common sense rail-safety.”
Since 1980 the number of crossing collisions (where a train and motor vehicle collide) in Canada has fallen dramatically from over 800 annually to approximately 200 in 2010. While this reduction speaks to the success of safety efforts undertaken in that time, there still remains unnecessary loss of life and injury with 79 fatalities and 47 serious injuries occurring in 2010 as a result of crossing collisions and trespassing on rail property.
Operation Lifesaver makes it easy for Canadians to learn about rail safety in just a matter of minutes. The organization has developed a wide variety of interactive educational materials available for free to the public, including:
An interactive site for kids, www.olkids.ca, which includes safety pamphlets, Rover the Railway Rabbit cartoons and stories, interactive videos and online activity books
Safety brochures for specific audiences, including parents, teachers, school bus and truck drivers, commuters, cyclists, emergency responders, and snow mobile and all terrain vehicle drivers available at www.operationlifesaver.ca
An interactive, online safety education site for new drivers available at www.traintodrive.net
On September 6 2011 Operation Lifesaver launched the “OFF THE RAILS” contest a nation-wide rail safety contest designed for 11-14year olds.
About the contest: Teachers, parents, coaches, team leaders and guardians, are encouraged to promote this contest. The more creative the message encouraging youth to stay off rail tracks the better. Submissions can be in the form of a short video, a poster, a song or even a comic strip. There are four grand prizes of $2,000 and eight secondary prizes of $500 totaling more than $10,000 to be awarded to winning students, classrooms, clubs, teams or schools. The prize money is to be used to promote literacy, numeracy, technology or physical and well-being of students. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2011.
Le 6 septembre 2011 – Opération Gareautrain a lancé son concours national sur la sécurité ferroviaire « Hors-La-Voie » conçu pour les adolescents âgés de 11 à 14 ans.
Au sujet du concours « Hors-La-Voie »
“En tant qu’enseignants, parents, entraîneurs, chefs de groupe ou tuteurs, nous vous demandons de nous aider à faire la promotion de ce concours. Nous cherchons un message créatif qui encourage les jeunes à se tenir à l’écart des voies ferrées. Il est possible de soumettre son message dans différents formats multimédias, comme une courte vidéo, une affiche, une chanson ou une bande dessinée. Quatre grands prix de 2 000 $ ainsi que huit prix secondaires de 500 $ totalisant plus de 10 000 $ seront remis aux gagnants, c’est‑à‑dire aux étudiants, aux classes, aux clubs, aux équipes ou aux écoles. Ces prix en argent doivent être utilisés afin de faire la promotion de l’alphabétisation, de l’initiation à l’arithmétique, de la technologie, de l’éducation physique ou du bien-être des étudiants. La date limite pour présenter les soumissions est le 31 décembre 2011.”
They have volunteers throughout the country to make education in schools and at level crossings (presentations, distribution of leaflets…) and also make enforcement through the police forces. Transport Canada video giving safety advice when driving close to level crossings in the winter season in Canada
Transport Canada video giving safety advice to avoid distractionwhen driving.
Let’s go today to a small but very dynamic country in Europe: Estonia, 330 level crossings
Cold country in the winter but warm people !
“Operation Lifesaver Estonia” branch in Europe
On November 19, 2004 AS Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railway Ltd), Tamo Vahemets and Urve Miidla the founded non-profit organisation “Operation Lifesaver Estonia” (OLE) following the principles accepted by Operation Lifesaver Inc. in the U.S.A.
Operation Lifesaver is an international, non-profit education and awareness program dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way. To accomplish its mission, Operation Lifesaver just like the European Level Crossing Forum (ELCF) of which it is a member, promotes 3 Es:
Education: Operation Lifesaver strives to increase public awareness about the dangers around the rails. The program seeks to educate both drivers and pedestrians to make safe decisions at crossings and around railway lines.
Enforcement: Operation Lifesaver promotes active enforcement of traffic laws relating to crossing signs and signals and private property laws related to trespassing.
Engineering: Operation Lifesaver encourages continued engineering research and innovation to improve the safety of level crossings. Thanks to their educational campaign in Estonia, Operation Lifesaver Estonia (OLE) have achieved a 50% reduction in the number of persons losing their life on rails in Estonia.
Another good example of an open collaboration involved the Operation Lifesaver Estonia Christmas campaign called “Let the train pass”. In December 2010 Tamo Vahemets proposed the ILCAD partners through the UIC coordinator to use the OLE poster and home made video, to adapt them free of charge adding the ILCAD logo, their company’s logo and the international motto “Act safely at level crossings” in English or in their own language. The video has been posted on youtube in 9 different languages http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZlDaUUpsNo.The video and poster have been uploaded on partners’ websites mainly in Europe but also in South Africa on a website of a South African education organisation on road safety www.arrivealive.co.za
They communicated the ILCAD press release to all ALAF railway members in Central and South America, published it on their websites and the major Argentinian newspapers “La Razón”, “Clarín”, “La Nación” y revista “Latinrieles”.
They published notes and videos on the internet websites of Operación Salvavidas and ALAF.
They distributed safety leaflets in schools and at level crossings. Videos and safety messages were shown in the 5 main railway stations of Buenos Aires.
They published the ILCAD video « Just in time” on the national tv and messages of prevention related to ILCAD on 9 June 2011 on the main radio stations.
They organised also workshops to aware on railway accidents in primary schools and in upper levels.
The Slovak Railways participated for the third time in ILCAD.
ILCAD 2011 in Slovakia was held under the patronage of Mr Ján Figeľ, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic.
On the 9th June the Slovak Railways organised a crash test at a level crossing around Bratislava. The media were invited to film the collision and the emergency activities.
From ŽSR side, the event was recorded with four cameras and then processed as a short video film.
ŽSR in line with other European countries has chosen its mascot for actions related to safety at level crossings. The mascot is the railwayman hedgehog called – „Želko“
Billboards “Pay Attention, Don´t Run The Risk!“ – in 30 locations in Slovak towns
Let’s go to Great Britain now: 6452 level crossings Britain is a multicultural society with its population observing many different faiths or none. Although nominally a Christian country it is often said that the main religion is consumerism and peoples’ main hobby is shopping. Over the past two or three years much of this activity has transferred to the Internet so that, especially at Christmas, Santa Claus and his reindeer have been replaced by lots of small white vans which are designed to call when the ‘shopper’ is out at work. And of course we must not forget those out of work or in low paid jobs for whom shopping is a luxury or quite impossible. Another aspect of Christmas is the need for people to go travelling. There are two types – travelling to stay with friends and relations; or travelling (often to warm or snowy places) to avoid the friends and relations. It’s good business for the roads, railways and airlines. Really smart people stay at home and keep out of sight, watching TV or playing computer games and complaining that its ‘not like the old days’.
As far as safety issues are concerned and particular at level crossings.U.K. is one of the most active players in the world and is often taken as a model for other countries.
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) http://www.rssb.co.uk, Network Rail http://www.networkrail.co.uk/, ORR (Office of Rail Regulation) http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/ and BTP (British Transport Police) http://www.btp.police.uk/ have been organising awareness campaigns at level crossings for many years now and have joined the ILCAD campaign from the very beginning. In addition to improving engineering and making awareness campaigns they also work a lot on enforcement measures with the cooperation of the BTP (British Transport Police). BTP operate enforcement vans equipped with 9 cameras to film and make photographs of offenders at level crossings. When the photo is taken, the plate, the owner’s name and the insurance are immediately checked. The fine is sent to the offender’s address within 48 hours and some points are taken out from the driving licence and sometimes when the case is more serious the offender is brought to court.
During the awareness campaign, they organise press conferences with national and local televisions, written media, radios in different places of the country.
is one of the numerous partners in the ILCAD campaign. They started awareness campaigns on a national level in 2008 and then joined the international ILCAD campaign in 2009, 2010, 2011.
On their website French people may download the GPS data showing the geographical situation of all level crossings.
They also created posters.
As far as enforcement is concerned automatic speed cameras and fixed cameras at red lights at particular level crossings have been installed. Since then the number of collisions has been decreasing drastically at these hots spots.
Automatic red light enforcement camera at a LX in France
Let’s go to Paris, France where UIC celebrate its 90 years: www.uic.org
UIC, the International Union of Railways celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2012, counts 200 members across 5 continents (railway companies, infrastructure managers, rail-related transport operators, etc.). UIC’s members represent 1 million kilometres of lines, 2,800 billion passenger-km, 9,500 billion tonne-km, and a workforce of 6.7 million people. UIC also comprises 8 forums and cooperation platforms, 6 regional assemblies, 30 study bodies coordinating circa 180 railway projects, world congresses, conferences and information sessions organised each year, as well as a host of services offered to its members.
At this occasion the UIC Safety Unit will be represented on a booth on which ILCAD, among other core activities, coordinated by UIC in Paris, will have the opportunity to show up, more info on www.ilcad.org
Lithuania, capital city: Vilnius
They distributed safety leaflets in schools and at level crossings. Videos and safety messages were shown in the 5 main railway stations of Buenos Aires.
They published the ILCAD video « Just in time” on the national tv and messages of prevention related to ILCAD on 9 June 2011 on the main radio stations.
