BRIERFIELD MOTORISTS URGED NOT TO RUN THE RISK

Friday 29 Sep 2006

BRIERFIELD MOTORISTS URGED NOT TO RUN THE RISK

Region & Route:

Motorists in Brierfield are being urged not to run the risk at level crossings and Pendle MP Gordon Prentice is backing the campaign. Level crossing misuse now represents the largest single risk of train accidents on the railway. Network Rail’s hard hitting ‘Don’t Run the Risk’ campaign is coming to billboards across the country to target motorists who are still not getting the message. Posters are being displayed at hot spot areas and in prominent locations to remind motorists about the potentially fatal consequences of level crossing misuse. A billboard poster is going to be on display on the corner of Burnley Road and High Street in Brierfield until mid October. This site was chosen because it is situated on one of the main roads through Pendle and will target motorists between Burnley and Colne. Gordon Prentice, MP for Pendle, has given his support to the campaign. He said: “It can be frustrating for motorists when they have to wait for long periods at level crossings to allow trains to pass, but safety is paramount. “It is better to allow extra time for journeys rather than take a risk and jump the crossing. The consequences don’t bear thinking about.” The ‘Don’t Run the Risk’ campaign aims to change the behaviour of level crossing users – to protect themselves and reduce the danger to train passengers. The £3m campaign features extensive nationwide and local advertising. This includes television and radio adverts and the targeting of more than one million households with information leaflets. It is the largest public safety campaign ever run by the rail industry. Gary Openshaw, Network Rail’s Area General Manager (Lancashire and Cumbria) added: “There have been 90 recorded incidents of level crossing misuse in the past year across Lancashire and Cumbria. This is 90 incidents too many. “Motorists who misuse level crossings risk serious injury or even death. You wouldn’t drive through a red light so why do motorists risk jumping the barriers at level crossings to save a couple of minutes?”

Notes to editors

There are 358 level crossings in the Lancashire and Cumbria area There have been 90 reported incidents of level crossing misuse since 1st September 2005 in Lancashire and Cumbria The last fatality in Lancashire at a level crossing was at a level crossing north of Preston on November 15 2005 and was deemed a suicide The last accidental fatality in Lancashire at a level crossing was at Parkers Crossing near Leyland on the Preston to Ormskirk line on April 29 2002 The last recorded incident of level crossing misuse at Brierfield was on January 9 2006

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