National Rail Safety Week, which ran from August 13 to 19, gave Police an opportunity to crack down on people being careless at level crossings and acting Superintendent Charlie Allen told the Dandenong Leader that Springvale is one of the hotspots which police targeted this year.
Rail Safety Week was instituted by the Australasian rail industry in 2006 as an initiative to educate the public on the need to take care around railway tracks. The 2012 National Rail Safety Week was launched at Springvale railway station.
Police action during the week included fining drivers who drove across railway lines when warning signals were in operation, as well as those who did not give way or stop at level crossings. Pedestrians who crossed tracks after the gates had closed were also fined.
Acting Superintendent Allen said that a train going at a speed of 60km/h will travel as much as 250 metres before it is able to stop. He also stressed that trains cannot swerve to avoid a collision.
The main aim of the week will have been to lower 2011’s national statistics which show that 54 drivers and pedestrians were involved in collisions with trains, resulting in the deaths of 24 pedestrians.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation leadership team was blogging about rail safety and undertook some flyer printing on Rail Safety Week topics for distribution in workplaces. In New South Wales, RailCorp did some poster printing and composed a media release. Other activities sponsored by partner organisations included colouring competitions and showbags for children, billboard advertising, and radio and TV campaigns.
