This article provides examples of Australian and international level crossing safety campaigns.
Stay level headed at level crossings – Queensland Rail 2021
The Queensland Stay Level Headed at Level Crossings campaign aims to raise awareness of the risk and consequences of disobeying level crossing warning signs and signals amongst South East Queensland pedestrians.
Research that informed the campaign shows that the most common reasons pedestrians undertook unsafe behaviour at level crossings were impatience, overconfidence, influence of others, distraction and inattention.
The Stay Level Headed at Level Crossings campaign aims to combat these risk-taking behaviours by teaching pedestrians to remain calm, be patient and empowering the audience to make good decisions for themselves.
The campaign was launched in Rail Safety Week 2021.
No room for risk – NSW Government 2021
NSW TrainLink drivers have issued a powerful warning to regional road users.
‘When you hit the emergency brakes it can take up to 14 football fields to stop, you can’t swerve, you can’t do anything, the train will just stop when it stops.’
This emotional message is part of a NSW Government road safety campaign launched in February 2021 to remind road users about the risks at level crossings.
The campaign materials are available here.
Don’t rush to the other side – NSW Government 2019
This NSW Government campaign was launched in 2019 to remind drivers of the consequences of rushing in front of a train at a level crossing.
This gate isn’t here to make you late – WA Government 2021
Information about this and other WA rail safety campaigns is available here.
International examples
TrackSAFE New Zealand
TrackSAFE NZ raises awareness and educates about safety around tracks and trains.
The Every near miss has an impact commenced in 2019 and saw half crosses installed at rail crossings around New Zealand where near misses had occurred, each with a QR code lining to a unique video of a real near miss and personal story of how it impacted the train driver. For Rail Safety Week 2020, the campaign delves deeper into the psychological impact near misses have on Kiwi train drivers with Locomotive Engineer, Fletcher Goldsworthy, taking viewer through every moment of one of the near misses he has experienced at Simla Crescent Station in Wellington.
International Level Crossing Awareness Day
The International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) is a worldwide initiative to improve awareness of level crossing safety. ILCAD is led by the UIC, the worldwide railway organisation and is supported by the railway community around the world.
Each year they produce a range of level crossing safety public awareness information, posters and advertisements in many languages. The 2021 campaign targeted people who are distracted around level crossings and had the theme ‘Distraction Kills’.
Download poster ‘Distraction kills’
Download poster ‘You might miss the signs’
View Video Take Care as you cross
Information about previous campaigns is available here.