engleski

Do We Need Traffic Safety Education on Railway Level Crossings in the Non-Railway Areas?

The road transport network in the Republic of Croatia is spread over the country's entire territory, but the railway network exists only on the mainland, not on the islands. Level crossings (LCs) are points of intersection of a railway or industrial track and a road at the same level. They represent complex socio-technical systems involving interactions among many types of road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, car drivers), including train drivers, signal operators, and others. Data suggest that more than 95% of accidents on LCs were caused by negligent road traffic participants who did not, knowingly or unknowingly, follow the traffic rules. But do all road users know the traffic rules specific to LCs? The people who live in the areas without railway transport, such as islands, do not encounter this type of transport in their everyday life. They are usually unaware of dangers at LCs and the consequences of risky behavior near railway tracks. Proof of this is the statistical accident analysis and the recent fatality of a student from the island on the railway tracks. Should they refresh their fundamental knowledge about traffic rules and safe movement in a railway environment that they do not have in their residences on the islands? This paper researched whether people in non-railway areas need additional traffic safety education regarding railways and LCs. Educational measures are proposed to increase non-railway area residents' awareness of the consequences of risky behavior at LCs.

safety ; traffic ; railway ; level crossing ; trespass ; human behaviour ; islands

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