Media centre

Thursday 7 Jun 2012

NETWORK RAIL AND BTP LAUNCH LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY DRIVE

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail and the British Transport Police are marking today’s International Level Crossing Day of Action by holding a safety awareness drive at Dingwall’s level crossings.

Network Rail community safety and operations staff and BTP officers will be on hand to distribute information leaflets to drivers and answer motorists' and pedestrians’ questions regarding the safe use of the infrastructure. The force’s CCTV level crossings camera van will also be deployed at the crossings.

Police and rail staff will also be joined by representatives of Young Scot and senior pupils from Dingwall Academy to help get the safety message across to pupils of the nearby school.

Mark Henderson, Network Rail community safety manager for Scotland, said: “Britain has a good safety record in comparison to many other countries but jumping the lights and ignoring warning signs is sadly a sight we see all too often at many level crossings. The message we are trying to spread is that taking a chance at a level crossing is just not worth it. By trying to save a few seconds, you could end up seriously hurt or losing your life.”

Chief Superintendent Ellie Bird, area commander for the Scotland area of British Transport Police, said: “International Level Crossing Awareness Day is an important date in our calendar and provides an ideal opportunity to work with Network Rail in getting the message across that risking your own life and the lives of others at level crossings is just not worth it.

“I welcome the initiatives that our rail industry partner is undertaking which will allow their staff and our officers affect driver and pedestrian behaviour at level crossings for their own safety and the safety of others.”

Network Rail is also today launching a new level crossings awareness initiative for primary and secondary schools across the country, as part of its new rail safety campaign, Rail Life.

Teachers in 60 schools across Britain located either near a level crossing or identified locally as being a priority, will receive free assembly kits and a range of campaign resources for pupils.

The kits, which can be used throughout the summer term and beyond, are available in two formats for both primary and secondary schools and include DVDs, an interactive presentation, quizzes, a teacher’s guide and mobile phone stickers. They are also available to all schools online and can be downloaded from: www.networkrail.co.uk/levelcrossings

The Rail Life campaign was created with the help of teachers and groups of children and young people through a series of workshops. They shaped and helped to create different aspects of the initiative by brainstorming, debating the campaign name and look, working up their own designs and discussing rail safety issues important to them.