Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Joins 45 countries in observing International Level Crossing Awareness Day
WASHINGTON, DC, June 21, 2010 – Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (www.oli.org), the national rail safety education nonprofit, is joining the observance of International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD, www.ilcad.org) in 45 countries worldwide on June 22 to call attention for the need for caution at highway-rail grade crossings.
“Operation Lifesaver is pleased to join in the observance of International Level Crossing Awareness Day again this year,” says Helen M. Sramek, President of U.S-based Operation Lifesaver Inc. “These rail safety education initiatives remind drivers and pedestrians to avoid distractions, because there is no second chance if you meet a train at a crossing.”
The second annual observance of ILCAD on 22nd June 2010 underscores the fact that that these tragic incidents, which affect families, train crews, and communities around the world, can be avoided if drivers remember to always expect a train at any crossing.
According to U.S. government data, Sramek notes, incidents at level crossings and those involving pedestrians trespassing on railroad rights-of-way across America account for 95.8 percent of all 2009 rail-related fatalities. Sramek addresses this topic on June 22 in a presentation at the 2010 Rail Corridor Safety Conference in Tacoma, Washington.
International Level Crossing Awareness Day focuses on educational measures and the promotion of safe behavior at and around level crossings. Events will be held in every participating country and around the common message, “Act safely at level crossings!”
Operation Lifesaver’s latest public safety advertisements on crossing and pedestrian safety issues are available at www.oli.org/psas.
The project involves the road sector, governmental agencies, railway undertakings, rail infrastructure managers, police forces, non-profit organizations dealing with railway safety education, from over 45 countries as well as European and International rail organizations, Operation Lifesaver, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), the European Level Crossing Forum (ELCF), the European Railway Agency (ERA) and the UN-ECE Transport Division. This year the Latin American Railway Association (ALAF) and the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) also join the Campaign.
Detailed information and educational materials designed to highlight the issue of safety around crossings is available at Operation Lifesaver, Inc.’s website, www.oli.org, and by visiting www.levelcrossing.net.
