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Leading rail freight operator Pacific<\/span>\u00a0National<\/span> has called on federal and state governments, industry groups, private operators, and unions to convene a\u00a0national<\/span> summit on level crossing safety to consider life-saving measures and reforms.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The call for action follows a\u00a0<\/a><\/span>fatal collision on New Years Eve<\/a> at a level crossing on the Barrier Highway at Bindarrah in South Australia (near the NSW border) that resulted in the\u00a0<\/span>the tragic deaths of two experienced\u00a0Pacific<\/span>\u00a0National<\/span>\u00a0train drivers, Mick Warren and Kevin Baker, when the locomotive they were driving was struck by a heavy vehicle.<\/span><\/p>\n This is in addition to hundreds of near miss incidents that occur at level-crossings each year, weighing on train and vehicle drivers\u2019 mental health and putting everyday Australians seconds from death.<\/span><\/p>\n Pacific<\/span>\u00a0National<\/span> Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah said there were more than 23,000 level crossings in Australia, many of which involve constant interactions between rail operations, road traffic, cyclists and pedestrians. <\/span><\/p>\n “Excluding trespass and suicide, accidents at level crossings account for the largest number of railway-related fatalities involving members of the public,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Proposed topics for discussion and immediate action at the summit include a full audit of the nation\u2019s level crossings to identify at risk locations, industry-led solutions to improve behaviour and safety around level crossings, increased\u00a0<\/span>investment in technology and infrastructure, increased penalties for blatant indiscretions and joint industry public education campaigns to protect drivers, amongst other measures.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, on behalf of the families impacted by the incident, Pacific<\/span>\u00a0National<\/span> has committed to a public advertising campaign to further educate the community and road users on railway level\u00a0 crossing safety, building on existing industry and government campaigns that run annually.<\/span><\/p>\n This follows calls from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) earlier this week to introduce a zero-tolerance approach to level-crossing safety, with cameras at all level-crossings nationwide.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI spent time with the families of Mick and Kevin, and what\u2019s abundantly clear is no person should have to experience this type of grief,” Scurrah said. <\/span><\/p>\n “Tragedies at level crossings devastate entire communities and the message isn\u2019t getting across loud enough. Losing concentration or being reckless about safety at a level crossing can kill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are calling on federal and state governments to engage with industry on improved protections. This isn\u2019t about pointing the finger at drivers or pedestrians but working together to overcome complexities and simply do better. If we don\u2019t, more Australians will be subjected to senseless deaths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “The safety message is straight-forward; it can take up to 2km for a fully loaded freight train to stop. It takes a vehicle or a pedestrian a moment of clear thought and mere seconds to stop. Slow down, stop and cross with care.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The post Pacific National calls for level crossing safety summit<\/a> appeared first on Rail Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 Leading rail freight operator Pacific\u00a0National has called on federal and state governments, industry groups, private operators, and unions to \u2026 <\/p>\n The post Pacific National calls for level crossing safety summit<\/a> appeared first on Rail Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":18,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[170,184,320,173,163,319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freight-rail","category-industry-safety","category-level-crossing-safety","category-pacific-national","category-rail-industry-news-australia-new-zealand","category-railway-crossings"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t