12. International Level Crossing Awareness Day

It is celebrated under the auspices of the International Association of Railways (UIC) of ILCAD, which is the International Level Crossing Awareness Day on June 11, 2020.

This year's ILCAD is very special. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, UIC and ILCAD partners decided to keep the worldwide campaign alive in 2021, although it was suggested to postpone ILCAD's regular conference to 2020.
Therefore, a web conference is planned for today (11.06.2020). For congress www.ilcad.org You can visit.

For safety, which forms the basis of our rail operations, UIC decided to spread its level crossing awareness messages more than ever on June 11 through social media, press release and posters shared with ILCAD partners.

In addition, in many countries of the world, although the intensity of rail and road traffic decreased during quarantine, unfortunately, various accidents occurred at level crossings. We see that running less trains does not mean that it reduces the number of accidents.

With the end of curfews, there is a risk of collision and loss numbers in level crossings, especially as drivers and pedestrians have become accustomed to decreasing trains recently running, as train numbers begin to approach old normal levels.

In these extraordinary times, many railway companies encourage level crossing users to be extra careful through media and social media. Road safety providers are doing the same for the risks inherent in road traffic.

Recently, during Covid-19 bans we have seen how important safety is at the core of one's daily life, how important it is to protect sensitive people and the population as a whole.

Many companies, associations and individuals, including railways, are making great efforts to help people work and stay safe. They are supported and appreciated to highlight how important the first respondent, medical staff and key staff, including railway staff, are.
"We are stronger together!" It can be used as the slogan of ILCAD 2020.

In an ideal world, there would be no level crossings. However, according to UIC safety database estimates, there are half a million level crossings worldwide. It is therefore vital that users crossing the railroad at this interface respect the highway rules and pay attention to the road signs, signals and barriers available to protect them. Pedestrians are affected by this situation as much as passengers.

However, 98% of vehicle collisions in level crossings are due to the intentional or accidental non-compliance with traffic rules. Driving errors are caused by routine, stress, fatigue, carelessness, overspeed, psychoactive substance consumption and improper use of electronic devices (GPS, mobile phone, etc.). For long, large and heavy vehicle drivers, collisions are caused by lack of training or lack of knowledge about the potential risks that can be encountered at level crossings and the good use of reflexes in emergency situations.
The main reason for ILCAD exists is to deliver the basic level crossing safety messages to a large group of people as much as possible.

Did you know?

• 13th of the ILCAD conference and worldwide campaign: June 10, 2021
• 40 countries participating in ILCAD: www.ilcad.org
• According to EU ERA (European Railway Agency) 2018 data:
• There are 28 level crossings (more than 2018% protected level crossings) in 105,300 EU member countries.
• Almost 300 people die in level crossings in the EU annually.
• The total cost is 1 billion Euros per year.
• 31% of railway fatal accidents occur at level crossings, but only 1% are road accidents. In 2018, in 28 EU member states: 258 fatal accidents; 291 serious injuries; 444 accidents have occurred.