Road Safety and Rail Crossings/ Level Crossings

Background Information:

An understanding of the way level crossings operate could save your life someday. The danger is particularly acute when travelling on an unfamiliar route. Road users must follow road rules and signs and pay attention to the road environment when approaching rail crossings. International police statistics show that up to 95 per cent of crashes at railway crossings are caused by driver error. This is largely attributable to inattention, driver distraction, risk-taking, and disobeying a lack of knowledge of the road rules and sometimes suicide. In almost every case that the motorist failed to stop and give way to the train at the level crossing, and there was little the train driver could do to prevent the collision or minimise its effects. Our train drivers are at every incident heavily traumatised since they are helpless and is pleading that motorists are taking double care when crossing the rails.

Most crashes involved cars, four-wheel drives, vans and utilities and a study shows that the driver’s failure to take sufficient care or action was the major cause.

Understanding the dangers of level crossings

Crossing a railway line or lines with moving trains isn’t complicated. It is a matter of knowing the rules and obeying them to ensure that you arrive at your destination safely.

Why do level crossings pose a significant risk?

Goods trains do not travel on a predictable schedule; schedules for these trains change. Passenger trains have a more fixed schedule.
You should always expect a train at every level crossing.
Trains can move in either direction at any time. If there is more than one line, there may be an oncoming train on the other line
Trains aren’t required to slow down at crossings, and their speed can often be difficult to gauge. If some of the very long trains are going to move slower, road users will have to wait longer. Impatient road users will then be tempted to skip before the slower-moving train.
Gauging the speed of an oncoming train is often very difficult; the brain has to deduce the speed with the increase in the size of the front of the train. An approaching train will always be closer and move faster than you think.
It is also normal for the stress level to increase, especially for inexperienced drivers, and the chances of having gear shift problems are larger
Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no telltale “clackety-clack.” Make sure you can hear the sounds of oncoming trains. Using earphones, loud music, and screaming children make crossing the railway line more dangerous.
Trains have the right of way 100% of the time – over ambulances, fire engines, cars, the police and pedestrians.
Trains take a long time to stop – even when the train driver slams on the brakes, a loaded train can take more than a kilometre and a half to stop.[1.5km]
From their driving seat, train drivers cannot see clearly to the left or to the right of the tracks on which their train is travelling. Although they also cannot see people or objects that are on the tracks directly in front of the train, there is nothing else that they can do other than blow the horn and apply the emergency brakes, which will take the train one and a half kilometres to stop.
You can never assume that because one train has passed, all rail tracks are clear. Another train may be approaching from the opposite direction.
A train may extend a metre or more outside the steel rail, which makes the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the rails themselves. A safe clearance of 5 meters is prescribed.
Trains can’t swerve to avoid you, and given the weight of a train, the chances of you surviving a crash are poor, as airbags will not be able to save you when you are involved in a collision with a train.

Safety advice for motorists:

Road users must follow road rules and signs and pay attention to the road environment when approaching rail crossings.
Always remember that where there’s a crossing, there’s danger.
Not all railway crossings have boom gates, and most do not have flashing lights.
When you see a sign indicating a crossing, slow down, look and listen and be prepared to stop at the yield sign, but stop at the stop sign. The flashing lights are there to warn you of oncoming traffic, and failing to stop under this circumstance is a very dangerous act.
Slow down so that you can stop if necessary. You’ll add hardly any time to your journey, but it may save your and someone else’s life.
Don’t be fooled by an optical illusion – trains in the distance are often closer and travelling faster than they appear.
Never enter a level crossing if red lights are flashing. Wait for the lights to stop flashing before driving across railway tracks
Do not cross the track until you are sure the train or trains have passed. If there are signals, wait until they stop flashing, and if the crossing has a barrier, wait until it rises before you cross.
If you decide to zigzag through the barriers, it is an extremely dangerous act. Never drive around, under or through a railway gate while it is down or is being lowered or raised.
Never race a train to the crossing – even if you tie, you will lose!
If a train is coming, stop at least five metres from the nearest rail or gate – Never stop on the tracks. Also, ensure that the back of your vehicle is 5 meters clear of the track.
Accelerate swiftly till you reach the railway lines and drive over the railway lines. Avoid shifting gears on a railway crossing.
Never queue on a railway crossing – if you have stopped on a crossing and a train is approaching, immediately drive off the track or get out of your car and move clear
A common mistake is stopping on the tracks while waiting for traffic ahead of you to proceed. Not only do you risk a collision with a train, but your vehicle could be struck by the barrier arms if they’re activated. If you are caught between closed barriers it is better to drive through that being crushed by a train. (This practice was decided upon at the 10th International Symposium on Level crossings.)
To avoid these situations, stop well behind the barriers and wait until you have enough room to clear the tracks completely.
Do not get trapped on the tracks. Only proceed through a level crossing if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is a metre wider than the racks on both sides.
If you get trapped on a crossing or your vehicle fails, immediately get everyone out of the vehicle and move quickly from the track to a safe location. It will not help to stand on the rails and wave for the train to stop. It can’t.
Move quickly away in the direction the train is coming from. If you run in the same direction the train is travelling, when the train hits your car, you could be injured by flying debris and burnt by the burning fuel.
At a multiple-track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks approaching in either direction.
Remember that regardless of what you drive, in a collision with a train, the train will always win.

Conclusion:

Accidents at level crossings are very much preventable! May we assist in creating further awareness of safety near these hazards and protect the lives of all road and rail users!

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