There were five collisions at level crossings in Wales this year and 27 near misses. Worryingly, Network Rail tell me that their studies show that most people consider themselves too intelligent to take risks on the railway, believing that only ‘other people’ are reckless enough to put themselves in danger at level crossings. This is not the case.
It is often thought that young people are the only at risk group, with boys showing off by running across the tracks or otherwise mucking about. This is undoubtedly an issue, with seven fatalities and over 2,000 incidents recorded over the past five years. It might shock you to learn however, that only a minority of those killed at level crossings are youngsters.
Those of us in other at risk groups such as dog walkers, or cyclists might not give a second thought to the railway risks particular to our circumstances. Since 2010, five dog walkers have been destroyed by trains and 181 have only narrowly escaped with their lives. This is partly because dogs are often walked late at night and early in the evenings, when owners may be tired and pre-occupied. More importantly, the focus of dog walkers is often the dog and may neglect their own safety.
Among cyclists there have been 139 near misses over the same period, with four not managing to escape. Cyclists are able to avoid barriers, whereas cars cannot and there appears to be a lack of awareness amongst some that the red light applies to them as well as other vehicles.
Cyclists are also often at risk when travelling in groups, assuming that those ahead have assessed the safety of the crossing and following without checking. This ‘follow the leader’ problem also puts pedestrians at risk. Can you honestly say that you have never followed a group of people in front when crossing a busy road? I certainly couldn’t. There is a greater risk however, when crossing railway tracks – a train cannot stop for you. Crucially, our ability to judge distance and speed of cars is far greater than our ability to do the same for trains.
As you might be able to tell, following my meeting with Network Rail this week I have a far greater appreciation of the risks surrounding level crossings. Please remember that when near a level crossing, you are on dangerous ground. A few saved seconds are not worth your life.