INTERNATIONAL: ‘Beware of trains. Life can change in a split second’ is the slogan for the 16th International Level Crossing Awareness Day, which this year has a particular emphasis on the safety of vulnerable people.
Around 50 countries take part in the annual ILCAD campaign which is headed by the International Union of Railways.
Argentina’s Transport Safety Board hosted this year’s ILCAD conference in Buenos Aires on June 6, along with the TRESPAD conference on trespassing and suicide prevention the previous day.
UIC said level crossings account for almost a third of all rail accidents, and if incidents involving pedestrians trespassing are included, this proportion increases to over 90%.
It said the rail industry faces the same problems worldwide regardless of country or culture, with the vast majority of collisions caused by users deliberately taking risks or making the wrong decisions through oversight, habit or by being distracted.
