Since 2009, the UIC has been coordinating the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) campaign running under the motto “Act safely at level crossings”. The UIC, representing the railway community worldwide, has been working with a small but growing number of road sector organizations, the European Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in order to raise awareness among road users and pedestrians of the risks at level crossings and to change their behaviour. More than 40 countries around the world were engaged in ILCAD 2012.
This campaign proceeds from an uncomfortable statistic: too many people die or are injured in accidents at level crossings. However, though the majority of these are due to misuse by motorists and pedestrians, the popular misconception is that these accidents are a railway problem. Conferences on the issue show that the only really effective way to decrease the number of accidents, short of closing all level crossings, is education, highlighting the risks and making people aware of the potential consequences if they do not follow the simple rules of the road.
As requested by the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations regional commissions are organizing the second Global UN Road Safety Week to raise global, regional, national and local awareness about Road Safety issues, with particular attention to pedestrians. This will take place worldwide in each UN region from 6 to 12 May 2013.
Following the enthusiasm shown by many ILCAD partners to join the Global United Nations Road Safety Week it has been decided to organise ILCAD 2013 during that particular week. Among other events taking place at UNECE in Geneva that week, the 7th May should be dedicated to ILCAD 2013. This will include a round table with representatives from rail- and road safety specialists and authorities, education-, human behaviour and enforcement specialists, UNECE member states, the EC, together with an exhibition to display ILCAD partners’ activities. ILCAD partners may organise their own events on 7th May or during the whole week in their respective country.
Building on the successes of the 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, the ILCAD 2013 (International Level Crossing Awareness Day) will then focus on the principle date:
7 May 2013.
You may join free of charge as all activity is on a purely collaborative basis and help the railway community to reduce this level of operational risk that we face at the interface with the road sector.
if you wish to join please contact: fonverne@uic.org ; visit www.ilcad.org