Ministerial Statement: New $1 million public awareness campaign targets ...

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
15/02/2009

New $1 million public awareness campaign targets level crossing safety

The Queensland Government has launched a $1 million community education campaign to improve level crossing safety following two recent fatal collisions and ongoing concerns about motorists' behaviour.

The statewide 'Some things are worth waiting for' campaign includes TV, radio and newspaper advertising, an education package featuring a DVD and online tools, and outdoor billboards.

Transport Minister John Mickel said education was a key part of the Queensland Government's plan to reduce accidents at level crossings.

"Level crossing safety is a complex problem and education, enforcement and engineering improvements must go together if we are to halt the alarming increase in accidents," Mr Mickel said.

"QR already spends more than $250,000 each year to promote rail safety. This campaign will boost efforts to educate drivers about how to behave safely at level crossings.

"Today's trains are bigger and faster than ever and motorists need to understand that trains can not stop quickly or swerve to miss vehicles.

"Motorists must be prepared to stop at level crossings, even if it costs them a few minutes, because otherwise if could cost them their lives or those of others.

"Level crossing accidents take a big toll on families and the wider community, and also on passengers and train drivers.

"We want to reduce this needless waste of life and the suffering it causes across Queensland."

Mr Mickel said a key aspect of the campaign involved working closely with bus and trucking industries that were at greater risk of accident due to frequency of travel.

"Over the past decade the number of level crossing collisions has decreased by nearly 50 per cent," he said.

"Despite this promising trend, the proportion of collisions involving heavy vehicles has risen during this time.

"As part of this campaign we will be advertising at places such as truck stops and petrol stations that are gathering points for drivers."

Mr Mickel said work to upgrade eight level crossings in North Queensland was progressing well.

"QR has begun initial work on the eight level crossings identified by the QR Taskforce, including improving signage, road markings and visibility," he said.

"Discussions have already been held about what further safety measures will be used in each location to fast track the improvements and get the work underway on the ground as quickly as possible.

"We are also giving priority consideration to the Taskforce recommendations for other statewide initiatives such as the lowering of the maximum speed limit at level crossings on major Queensland highways and the potential enforcement of traffic infringements with camera technology utilised to detect offences."

    * In the past decade the number of level crossing collisions has fallen by nearly 50 per cent from 287 in 1991-1999 to 153 from 2000-2008.

    * The percentage of these collisions involving heavy vehicles has increased from 15 per cent to 24 per cent during this time.

    * Of the level crossing collisions to occur on QR tracks in the past seven years:

    -98 per cent of collisions were directly attributable to the road user

    -96 per cent of collisions occurred at public level crossings

    -50 per cent of collisions occurred at crossings with boom gates and/or flashing lights.

15 February 2009

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[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Level crossing campaign underway

Level crossing campaign underway
Tony Bartlett | February 15, 2009 - 12:38PM

The Queensland government has launched a $1 million community education campaign to improve level crossing safety, following two recent fatal accidents and a number of near misses.

State Transport Minister John Mickel says today's trains are bigger and faster than ever, and motorists need to understand they can't stop quickly.

"Motorists must be prepared to stop at level crossings, even if it costs them a few minutes, because otherwise if could cost them their lives or those of others," Mr Mickel said.

Mr Mickel says a key aspect of the campaign involves working closely with the bus and truck industries.

"Over the past decade, the number of level crossing collisions has decreased by nearly 50 per cent," he said.

"Despite this promising trend, the proportion of collisions involving heavy vehicles has risen during this time.

"As part of this campaign we will be advertising at places such as truck stops and petrol stations that are gathering points for drivers."

Mr Mickel says work to upgrade level crossings in North Queensland is progressing well.

"Queensland Rail (QR) has begun initial work on the eight level crossings identified by the QR Taskforce, including improving signage, road markings and visibility," he said.

"We are also giving priority consideration to the Taskforce recommendations for other statewide initiatives.

They include lowering speed limits at level crossings on major highways and installing level crossing cameras to detect offences.

On New Year's Day, a truck driver was killed when his garbage truck was hit by a train on a level crossing at Mundoo, near Innisfail in far-north Queensland.

It was the third level crossing fatality in two months, after two tilt train drivers died at Cardwell, 100km south of Innisfail, in November.

Miraculously, the driver of the truck in that collision received only minor injuries.

In the past decade, the number of level crossing collisions has fallen by nearly 50 per cent from 287 in 1991-1999 to 153 from 2000-2008.

The percentage of these collisions involving heavy vehicles has increased from 15 per cent to 24 per cent during this time.

Of the level crossing collisions to occur on QR tracks in the past seven years:

- 98 per cent of collisions were directly attributable to the road user

- 96 per cent of collisions occurred at public level crossings

- 50 per cent of collisions occurred at crossings with boom gates and/or flashing lights.
Source: The Sun-Herald

[Markus]

Hmmm . . .
Good idea after all, the Government is there to protect us & is there for our benefit.

But with many ppl thinking only of themselves, I don't know of a cure for stupidity.