ChatterBank1 min ago
Evolution By Natural Stupidity At Work?
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We are bottom of the European League for accidents at level crossings
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youngmafbog
We have a big network even after Beeching.
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Did not know that the USA has hardly any electrification of its huge network.
We have a big network even after Beeching.
http://
Did not know that the USA has hardly any electrification of its huge network.
//Never understand why there are half barriers. What stops the installation of full width barriers covering the whole road on both sides ? //
it's a matter of risk mitigation. If a crossing warrants full barriers, CCTV necessarily goes with it because of the risk of entrapment between the closed barriers (a risk not prevalent at a half-barrier crossing), thus increasing the cost of installation, maintenance, etc.
ultimately it's down to how much those that finance the railways (you and me at the end of the day) believe it is necessary to spend to protect road users from themselves.
it's a matter of risk mitigation. If a crossing warrants full barriers, CCTV necessarily goes with it because of the risk of entrapment between the closed barriers (a risk not prevalent at a half-barrier crossing), thus increasing the cost of installation, maintenance, etc.
ultimately it's down to how much those that finance the railways (you and me at the end of the day) believe it is necessary to spend to protect road users from themselves.
Level crossing fatalities in the UK have remained remarkably consistent for the last 40 years despite a drastic decrease in overall road fatalities in the same period. (Level crossing deaths between 10 and sixteen per annum, annual road deaths down from around 7,000 to well under 3,000).
Analysis of the causes of these fatal incidents suggests that they are overwhelmingly caused by road vehicle drivers or pedestrians misusing the crossings. In fact I can find no instance of a fatality on a crossing on a public road where the cause was either faulty railway equipment or misuse on the part of those controlling the train for at least twenty-five years. There have, however, been one or two where the design or layout of the crossing was held to be at least partially to blame.
From eye witness accounts this latest incident seems to have been caused by the driver trying to zig-zag around the barriers and if that is the case then it will be yet another occasion where road user misuse has caused a fatality.
BTW you need to be very careful when looking at level crossing statistics in the UK. There are around 6,700 of them on the national rail network but the vast majority of them (around 5,200) are not on public roads. Nearly all of these are termed “passive” in that they are not controlled by the railway. They are either gateless or rely on the user to open gates and are often found serving footpaths or as “occupational“ crossings on farms. Those on public roads number about 1,500, down from about 1,800 in 1975 and almost all of these are controlled by the railway. Deaths on railway controlled crossings number about 170 in forty years and only a very small number of these were rail passengers or staff .
Analysis of the causes of these fatal incidents suggests that they are overwhelmingly caused by road vehicle drivers or pedestrians misusing the crossings. In fact I can find no instance of a fatality on a crossing on a public road where the cause was either faulty railway equipment or misuse on the part of those controlling the train for at least twenty-five years. There have, however, been one or two where the design or layout of the crossing was held to be at least partially to blame.
From eye witness accounts this latest incident seems to have been caused by the driver trying to zig-zag around the barriers and if that is the case then it will be yet another occasion where road user misuse has caused a fatality.
BTW you need to be very careful when looking at level crossing statistics in the UK. There are around 6,700 of them on the national rail network but the vast majority of them (around 5,200) are not on public roads. Nearly all of these are termed “passive” in that they are not controlled by the railway. They are either gateless or rely on the user to open gates and are often found serving footpaths or as “occupational“ crossings on farms. Those on public roads number about 1,500, down from about 1,800 in 1975 and almost all of these are controlled by the railway. Deaths on railway controlled crossings number about 170 in forty years and only a very small number of these were rail passengers or staff .
///In fact I can find no instance of a fatality on a crossing on a public road where the cause was either faulty railway equipment or misuse on the part of those controlling the train for at least twenty-five years.///
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Yes thanks for that, mush.
I had missed that one. I was going back through the incidents one by one as I cannot find a decent summary of accidents by cause. I have a fairly good record myself of many incidents but I must say the Hereford incident had escaped my attention.
I think, though, I'll still stick to my assertion that such fatal incidents are are overwhelmingly caused by road users misusing the crossings. But I accept, not exclusively.
I had missed that one. I was going back through the incidents one by one as I cannot find a decent summary of accidents by cause. I have a fairly good record myself of many incidents but I must say the Hereford incident had escaped my attention.
I think, though, I'll still stick to my assertion that such fatal incidents are are overwhelmingly caused by road users misusing the crossings. But I accept, not exclusively.
"Mush" ? Worthy of Tony Hancock, NJ ! Amazed that there are some 5,000 'private' crossings. There are a few around here and they are all treated with great caution by both drivers of motor vehicles and trains. "Stop, look, listen" is very much the order of the day. Just as well. Last year the Cambridge to London express, which I was on, was held up for a good ten minutes by a farmer using one to get a tractor, trailer, and a combine across, accompanied by his dog. The dog was the only one of the company who didn't dally. Fatalities on these are either very rare or under- reported.
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NJ, look here -
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if you put "level crossing defect" into the cause box, there are only 2 events listed.
whereas, entering "road vehicle driver error" pulls up 220 events dating back to the 1830s. Theres are of course only those events that were followed by a formal investigation process.
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if you put "level crossing defect" into the cause box, there are only 2 events listed.
whereas, entering "road vehicle driver error" pulls up 220 events dating back to the 1830s. Theres are of course only those events that were followed by a formal investigation process.
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