RAIB report into level crossing near miss
 

The RAIB has released a report into a near miss at a level crossing in Norfolk which took place last year on 24th November 2019. A combination of factors lead to the level crossing barriers raising as a train approached, resulting in two cars crossing directly in front of the approaching train.

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/12...-crossing.html

https://assets.publishing.service.go...rwich_Road.pdf

Tony

Just snavelled the RAIB report.
Scary indeed.

Very lucky! I'm always cautious and look before crossing, especially in the USA there are many (school buses HAVE to stop before crossing a railroad track regardless)
I always look when pulling off from a green light at an intersection. I was knocked off my motorcycle when I was young by someone who ran a red light, lucky no serious injuries and in my 5 years as a cop I came across several collisions that could have been avoided if the driver just looked before proceeding.

Yes I always have a good check at level crossings. Automatic Half Barriers don't interlock with the signalling, so the bobby wouldn't know if the detection wasn't working and the gates hadn't gone down.

A quick check could save your life.

BW

As a young boy, man, and fireman in Rhodesia, I never saw a Level Crossing Barrier. We did not have any. Trains that did shunt work across a road in the towns always had a shunter with a red flag to stop traffic. Out in the country, it was law that drivers stopped at a level crossing. The police would sometimes hide in the bush and check that traffic stopped before crossing. Lord help any they caught not stopping, they would lose their driving license. That could be very hard on someone living miles out in the sticks with the nearest neighbor 5 or 10 miles away. I understand that the law in South Africa was also just as harsh.

These days it is a free-for-all in South Africa. The cops prefer to collect bribes simply by standing next to the road and stopping cars randomly instead of doing proper law enforcement like reckless driving, they will nail you for not having your drivers license in the vehicle for instance (which won't cause an accident). The last time I was there I got stopped at least once a week. I have driven thousands of miles in the UK, France and USA and never once been stopped.

The terrible crash in South Africa in 2010 in which a school bus driver went around the barrier at a level crossing and was hit by a train killing 10 school children springs to mind, he got 20 years in jail which was reduced to 8 years, he should have gotten life in prison.

Another school bus level crossing tragedy happened in 1970 click here