Page 28 - Operation Lifesaver Estonia / Annual Report 2012

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tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way.

Founded in Estonia on 19 November 2004 -

www.ole.ee

Railway safety is an important part of the prevention

work done by the police and we have been dealing

with that already for years. The police and its good

cooperation partner – NPO Operation Lifesaver

Estonia – have educated both adults and children to

act safely at railways in order to reduce the number

of accidents.

Thanks to OLE, our police forces have one dozen

trained and certified railway safety experts. All these

officials educate children mostly in kindergartens

and schools, finding time for that after their main

duties. They also organise lectures for adults. The

police have paid continuously visits to educational

institutions to make the presentations livelier and

get children’s attention.

In order to reduce the number of accidents taking

place at railway level crossings, the police have

joined their efforts with OLE already for a long

period of time and monitors during OLE’s campaigns

lawful behaviour at level crossings as well as

pedestrian crossings.

In 2012, the police registered 351 violations of the

rules applicable for railway crossing. 148 of them

occurred in the Northern Prefecture, 69 in the

Southern Prefecture, 2 in the Western Prefecture

and 132 in the Eastern Prefecture. In addition

were discovered 12 violations committed at level

crossings by light vehicles. There were 4 motor

vehicle – train collisions (compared to 17 in 2010

and 15 in 2011) in course of which was injured one

person. In the last two years we have not had any

level crossing accidents with fatal injuries whereas

in 2010 two people were killed at level crossings.

Nevertheless, we still continue to have many

accidents involving people trespassing on railway.

Last year we had 12 such accidents, injuring 6

and killing 7 people (in 2010 these numbers were

13, 4 and 9 respectively). Thus, we must pay more

attention to preventing such kind of accidents.

In order to make the close cooperation between the

police and OLE even more efficient, we are about

to sign on 30 April 2013 our bilateral cooperation

agreement. The cooperation agreement aims at

developing cooperation in the area of informing the

general public about the railway related dangers,

provide instructions on preventing dangerous

situations, ensuring railway safety and establishing

a strategic partnership.

We thank OLE for our good cooperation and for their

contribution to ensuring safety in Estonia!

I wish you a safe journey!

We appreciate our good cooperation with

OLE and their efforts for making Estonia

a safer place!

Tarmo Miilits

Police and Border Guard Board, Deputy Director General

in the Field of Maintenance of Law and Order