Red = Stop, every time, everywhere!

In 2020, there were 23 accidents at level crossings in Belgium. 6 of these took place in a port area. In 2021 (up to and including November), there were 12 accidents in port areas, of which 8 in Antwerp and 4 in Zeebrugge.

Almost every month sees an accident at a level crossing in one of our ports. The consequences can be severe: these life-threatening events are also responsible for major material damage and delays to freight traffic.  These, in turn, have major economic consequences.

That is why, on 13^th December, we will be launching a campaign specifically aimed at truck drivers for more safety at level crossings in our port areas. Our message is clear: Red = stop! Figures show that in 80% of accident cases, drivers did not stop at a red light sign. 

From 13^th December until 26^th December, you will also see our campaign on different social media channels, as well as through our partners’ media channels. After all, this campaign is possible thanks to the good cooperation of: Port of Antwerp, MBZ Port of Zeebrugge, Combinant, ICO, APZI. In addition, several trade unions support the action, such as ACV-Transcom and Febetra.

Driving in ports can often be hazardous: heavy traffic, lots of trucks, numerous level crossings, most of which are without barriers and sometimes even without traffic lights. That is why we joined forces with Waze, Flitsmeister and Coyote in 2020 to find a way to warn drivers when approaching a level crossing. 
 
How does it work? We published the GPS coordinates of all level crossings in Belgium on our Open Data platform. This data is freely available, allowing developers of navigation apps to integrate it for free. This way, Waze and Flitsmeister can send their users a notification when they approach a level crossing. With this additional warning we want to help drivers stay extra alert near level crossings and thus increase road safety.