International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) Advocates for Good Decision Making Around Rail Safety
The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), in partnership with key rail and road safety stakeholders, commemorated the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) 2025, at one of South Africa’s most incident-prone level crossings in Witbank, Mpumalanga.
ILCAD is a global rail safety initiative spearheaded by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and supported by more than 28 countries. The aim: to save lives by promoting safe behaviour around level crossings.
This year’s global theme, “Helping People Make Good Decisions”, hits close to home. The Witbank Level Crossing accounted for the highest number of level crossing incidents in the country during 2023/24. Nationally, 63 level crossing incidents were recorded, causing 50 injuries and 6 fatalities, with Mpumalanga alone contributing 19% of these.
Given the area’s strategic importance and increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic due to nearby developments, today’s event aims to raise targeted awareness. Officials from the RSR, Traxtion, PRASA, Emalahleni Municipality, Nkangala District Municipality, SAPS, TRIM/TFR, and SANTACO were joined by RSR Board members during an on-site safety campaign where they engaged directly with motorists and pedestrians to promote safe behaviour at the level crossings.
As part of the initiative, the stakeholders visited Mogalitwa Primary School, located near a level crossing. Safety messages were delivered to learners through an edutainment approach, featuring the RSR’s mascot, Captain Sporo. Learners—many of whom cross railway tracks daily on their way to and from school—received important rail safety tips, including the critical reminder that trains take a long time to stop.
