DRIVERS who fail to give way to cane trains in the Burdekin will be caught on camera and have their details passed on to police.
Wilmar Sugar is expanding their use of cameras on cane trains to locos in the Burdekin after they were successfully trialed in the Herbert region last year.
The cameras will be fitted to both the front and back of Wilmar's locos to record details of vehicles and pedestrians who break the law at level crossings.
Last season, trucks, cars and cyclists were all caught dicing with death in the Herbert region.
Wilmar Sugar general manager cane supply and grower relations Paul Giordani said the video technology had proven to be a useful tool.
"Last season we recorded footage of trucks, cars and even cyclists failing to give way to cane trains," Mr Giordani said.
"We even had one incident of a car stopping at the crossing, and then speeding through it to beat one of our trains.
"We downloaded the footage and handed it over to police to help them with their investigations."
Mr Giordani said $42,000 would be spent installing cameras in all 35 of the Burdekin's locos over the next two years, with the Jarvisfield and Scott the first to get the camersas.
Ayr Police acting officer-in-charge Sergeant Ben Walsh said the technology would assist with police investigations.
"Each year police officers are required to investigate serious traffic incidents involving Wilmar locos," Sergeant Walsh said.
"Many, if not all, of these incidents could have been prevented by drivers of motor vehicles paying greater attention to the road and what is happening around them.
"Police welcome any advancement of technologies which aid in these investigations."
With the first of Wilmar's mills set to fire up in early June, Burdekin cane supply manager John Tait said he wanted to get the message out to be sensible when approaching level crossings.
"Cane trains will soon be running throughout the Burdekin region as they operate 24/7 to supply our mills," Mr Tait said.
Wilmar owns and maintains more than 630km of railway track on the Burdekin.
Inkerman Mill is scheduled to start the crushing season on Tuesday, June 2 and will be the first Wilmar's Queensland mills to fire up.
The other three Burdekin mills will start a week later on Tuesday, June 9.