The 7th of June 2012, marks the International Level Crossing Awareness Day. In a bid to celebrate and mark this day, Transnet Freight Rail, a division of Transnet Limited is embarking on a National Level Crossing and Safety Awareness Campaign with the support of some of its key stakeholders, namely: the Rail Safety Regulator, PRASA, Railway Police, The SAPS, Community Forums, DOT and others.
Too many people are fatally injured in accidents at level crossings. Ignorance of both motorists and pedestrians is the main reason why statistics of human fatalities are so high. Numerous conferences have proven that the most effective way of sensitising the general public on acting safely at a level crossing is by educating communities and people about the varying risks and the consequences of not obeying the rules of rail. However in 2010/11 we had 104 incidents and in 2011/12 we had a reduction of 73 incidents.
Following the motto used globally this year in the railway industry, “ACT SAFELY AT A LEVEL CROSSING,” Transnet Freight Rail supports this brilliant initiative by the key role players in our industry such as European Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) that has established the ILCAD, a campaign to raise awareness amongst road users and pedestrians.
Joining us will assist the railway community to lessen this level of operational risks we face as a nation.
