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‘Too many motorists are playing Russian Roulette with a 200-tonne train’ (From Bournemouth Echo)
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‘Too many motorists are playing Russian Roulette with a 200-tonne train’
7:00pm Wednesday 10th March 2010
THE HEAD of Network Rail wants the driving test to carry compulsory questions on level crossings in a bid to reduce the UK’s shocking death and serious injury rate.
Iain Coucher called for the government to curb unsafe driving at crossings, following 3,242 recorded incidents of misuse in the UK last year.
He said: “Motorists are too often playing Russian roulette with a 200-tonne train.”
Residents close to Wool’s level crossing agree.
Motorist Richard Worksop said: “There are some drivers who think nothing of accelerating across the tracks when the gates have started to descend.
“It cannot be a bad thing to make level crossings part of the written test.”
Meanwhile, a nearby worker who didn’t want to be named recalled a driver turning on to the tracks and driving along the rails by mistake.
“It happened about five years ago,” he said. “The guy drove along for a while until his petrol tank caught fire.
“Cars do speed up to jump the crossing. You often get police waiting over the road to catch them, and we used to have CCTV cameras either side of it.
“The gates do stay down a long time though – they can be down for several minutes before any train goes past.”
In September 2008 a driver escaped uninjured after his car went through railings on the line near the level crossing. No-one was injured in the incident.
Nationally, there were 14 recorded collisions between vehicles and trains on level crossings last year, and 140 recorded near misses – nearly three a week.
Sadly, 13 people lost their lives on crossings during the same period.
Mr Coucher said: “Tragically some motorists lose their lives gambling at level crossings by running red lights or dodging around barriers.
“I’m confident that lives will be saved if motorists learn how to use level crossings safely from the day they pass their test.”
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Your Say YourEcho
twynham, Christchurch says...
9:07pm Wed 10 Mar 10
grimreaper wrote:I was about to say, “How do you instil common sense into a totally inadequate driving test?”
Natural Selection !
But, you are probably right.
Such is life!
grimreaper, Ensbury Park says...
9:21pm Wed 10 Mar 10
twynham wrote:Or Death !!
grimreaper wrote: Natural Selection !I was about to say, “How do you instil common sense into a totally inadequate driving test?” But, you are probably right. Such is life!
.
You can't educate Pork.
.
The sooner Nanny State realises people DIE by their own stupid mistakes the better
Upkeep, By the river says...
11:34pm Wed 10 Mar 10
grimreaper wrote:You are right grimreaper, but this sort of lunacy has the potential to take innocent lives as well.
twynham wrote:Or Death !!
grimreaper wrote: Natural Selection !I was about to say, “How do you instil common sense into a totally inadequate driving test?” But, you are probably right. Such is life!
.
You can't educate Pork.
.
The sooner Nanny State realises people DIE by their own stupid mistakes the better
traindriver3ss, bournemouth says...
1:35am Thu 11 Mar 10
Upkeep wrote:and the driver of the train that gets derailed hitting these idiots at 90mph/??? natural selection grim reaper?
grimreaper wrote:You are right grimreaper, but this sort of lunacy has the potential to take innocent lives as well.
twynham wrote:Or Death !!
grimreaper wrote: Natural Selection !I was about to say, “How do you instil common sense into a totally inadequate driving test?” But, you are probably right. Such is life!
.
You can't educate Pork.
.
The sooner Nanny State realises people DIE by their own stupid mistakes the better
mikey2gorgeous, Moordown says...
10:14am Thu 11 Mar 10
.
There needs to be more enforcement with punishments that actually make people change their habits
dunketh, Portland says...
11:17am Thu 11 Mar 10
We dont really care about the motorists, they made their choice.
One more for Darwin!
mikey2gorgeous, Moordown says...
11:23am Thu 11 Mar 10
dunketh wrote:You don't seem to care for anyone. Let alone car passengers or train drivers who can suffer terrible mental trauma after collisions.
Whats needed are more heavily armoured trains which can proceed unhindered by badly positioned cars.
We dont really care about the motorists, they made their choice.
One more for Darwin!
.
Perhaps the Echo should put an age limit on these forums so we get some mature debate instead?
dunketh, Portland says...
11:32am Thu 11 Mar 10
mikey2gorgeous wrote:Read it again dopey, I specificaly say I dont care about car drivers who drive infront of trains.
dunketh wrote: Whats needed are more heavily armoured trains which can proceed unhindered by badly positioned cars. We dont really care about the motorists, they made their choice. One more for Darwin!You don't seem to care for anyone. Let alone car passengers or train drivers who can suffer terrible mental trauma after collisions. . Perhaps the Echo should put an age limit on these forums so we get some mature debate instead?
Nothing said about train drivers or anyone else for that matter.
I think the point is - some people are just plain stupid. Telling them not to be is like telling grass not to be green.
Maybe a reading test rather than an age test is in order?
ballstoit, Pikeytown says...
1:11pm Thu 11 Mar 10
FLOOR IT!!!
Quick, before a train gets here!!
I've seen em do it in the films. All about timing. Nothin to it.
traindriver3ss, bournemouth says...
5:40pm Thu 11 Mar 10
dunketh wrote:I think Mikey's point was that you didn't mention the driver. Accepting that you were concerned for his physical health by suggesting more heavily armoured trains to stop the train derailing ( although its not the strength of the train that's the issue) It makes no allowance for the mental stress of wiping out an entire family!!!
mikey2gorgeous wrote:Read it again dopey, I specificaly say I dont care about car drivers who drive infront of trains.
dunketh wrote: Whats needed are more heavily armoured trains which can proceed unhindered by badly positioned cars. We dont really care about the motorists, they made their choice. One more for Darwin!You don't seem to care for anyone. Let alone car passengers or train drivers who can suffer terrible mental trauma after collisions. . Perhaps the Echo should put an age limit on these forums so we get some mature debate instead?
Nothing said about train drivers or anyone else for that matter.
I think the point is - some people are just plain stupid. Telling them not to be is like telling grass not to be green.
Maybe a reading test rather than an age test is in order?
Your point wouldn't work though, i can assure you if my train hit any family car at 90mph the train would be pretty much intact but the risk of de railing is huge. The car and any occupants would be in many pieces however
X Old Bill, Sunny South Coast says...
8:44pm Thu 11 Mar 10
.
Just one question - What part of 'STOP AT THE RED LIGHT' do car drivers fail to understand?
Maybe the highway code should be reworded to say: When you fail to stop at a red light then you might die and you might take others with you. (a sort of Government Health Warning).
traindriver3ss, bournemouth says...
11:10pm Thu 11 Mar 10
X Old Bill wrote:It is fairly simple isn't it???
From the media output on this I gather that Network Rail want a higher profile given to conduct at railway level crossings in the standard driving test.
.
Just one question - What part of 'STOP AT THE RED LIGHT' do car drivers fail to understand?
Maybe the highway code should be reworded to say: When you fail to stop at a red light then you might die and you might take others with you. (a sort of Government Health Warning).
rotcoddam, pokesdown says...
11:13pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Rather than add more to the test we should be considering how it is that people with this sort of serious mental health issues actually ever get anywhere near a driving test in the first place
NEAR MISS: This startling image of a motorist narrowly avoiding a train at a level crossing was recorded at Llangadog in Wales
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grimreaper, Ensbury Park says...
8:57pm Wed 10 Mar 10