Majority of road and rail users in the country could not have heard the term IlCAD. It has prompted railway authorities in Tamil Nadu to go out and campaign vigorously among the public about IlCAD which stands for International level Crossing Awareness Day which is being observed on June 3. The ever increasing number of accidents at unmanned level crossings has been a matter of concern for rail authorities in the country.
"There are 31, 254 level crossings on Indian Railways. Out of these crossings, 12,500 are unmanned level crossings. More than 40 per cent of the rail accidents are due to unmanned level crossings. The seriousness of the accidents at unmanned level crossings could be understood from the fact that 66 percent of these accidents result in loss of human lives," said A K Rastogi, divisional manager, Madurai Division, Indian Railways. He said that all accidents which occur at unmanned level crossings could be avoided if rail users show a bit of patience. "A wait of less than a minute will lead to a gain of whole life time," he said.
Officials of Indian Railways will launch a massive awareness drive on June 3 about the risks at level crossings in order to change road users' and pedestrians' behaviour to act safely at level crossings. According to senior Railway officials in Tiruchirapalli and Madurai, the accidents at unmanned level crossings could be eliminated only by the road and rail users themselves. "Though there are three sign boards at various points warning the users about the unmanned level crossings, they pay scant respect,” ," said a spokesman of Indian Railways.