In New York States Long Island the crossings have signs, lights and crossing gates, and when a suicidal driver or pedestrian wants to enter hell by train, they use the Long Island Railroad. The massive passenger counts the LIRR moves everyday means that the insurance premiums for each grade crossing is massive. When a private siding is connected to the mainline, the railroad charges well over 10 million dollars just for the connection. That is mostly to finance the insurance
We had a bad one while stationed in Illinois. Amtrack was traveling at 100 mph. The highway paralleling the track had a 45 mph speed limit. A Camaro with four passengers, outran the train, then tried to cross the track in front of the train. The passenger door was pushed in flush with the drivers door. The track was a double track. After Amtrack stopped, another car stopped on the tracks at a different crossing, trying to get a good view. He was hit by a freight train on the second track.
Robert Heinkel Hope they were all killed. People like that deserve everything they get. I pity the train drivers though, and the passengers inevitably delayed.
having been employed by a major US railroad for 25 years I saw numerous drivers of cars and trucks ignore lights, bells and signals, and drive around crossing gates, unfortunately not all of them made it across. one morning about 7 am a long freight train hit a tanker truck filled with 7,000 gallons of fuel and sliced the tanker in half causing a massive fire that killed the truck driver and burned two locomotives to a crisp, fortunately the train crew had only minor injuries, a few days later a train hit a loaded logging truck at the same crossing also killing the truck driver and causing massive damage to the train, no train employees were injured. the crossing is protected by lights, bells and gates which were ignored by both truck drivers. people take unbelievable chances with children in the car, it is insane.
roy hoco the point I see you’re maybe not intending to make is that the locomotives you were driving protect you very well in a crash with even a large truck. These Australian locomotives don’t seem to fare as well.
1. Install in-ground bollards that rise when the lights start to flash. 2. Apply a "Railway Safety Surcharge" to HGV and auto registrations to cover the cost of the bollards. 3. When people complain about it, tell them that it is a "Stupidity Tax"
In the early 60s, Grandma lived in a small town with only warning light & bells at their crossing--no arms. She got half-way across one morning when a freighter doing about 50 came thru. They found her in her `56 Pontiac about a quarter-mile down the tracks. She lived about 4 hours is all. Mom didn't make it to the hospital before she died.
There's nothing wrong with level crossings. Even if there should be a mechanical fault with gates or lights, every driver has their own inbuilt security systems that they carry with them all the time. They're called eyes and ears. Fail to use them at your own peril.
Yes, but the level crossing removal project thinks it’s the opposite if it weren’t for the stupid drivers of Surry Hills and Mont Albert, maybe the stations would’ve been still around
Even with crossings that have no gates or lights you can still see for a fair distance in either direction so there really is no excuse for not checking both ways before crossing.
I did the second last security shift at the Lismore, Vic crash site - me and my off-sider thought we would be getting another 2 week's work, the crossing lights and bell's were activated, a train was coming, we were standing in the middle of the road in high vis vest's flashing our torches at a truck speeding toward's us - he actually went up a gear and ran the crossing like it wasn't there ??? I guess it was lucky for him that the train was only doing 20km/h.
Trucker probably sawhere the train was and the slow speed it was moving and knew he could cross well ahead of the train's arrival - just like level crossings with no mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* . Did you documenthe trucking company name and trailer license plate number?
There's a lot more problems with railway crossings these days. Nearly all "active" crossings have electronic bells which are not as loud and as good as the old mechanical bells.
Thelectronic bells are heard better, especially by hearing impaired people. Real bells require maintenance: contact cleaning (filing) and adjustment, bearing lubrication, clapper adjustment, etc. I have several real bells which wereplaced by electronic bells.
I always slow down or stop at rail crossings regardless of it's a passive or active crossing. I also think of the train engineer and the trauma of seeing the consequences of the mutilated victims hit by a train, that will stay with them for the rest of their life.
Operation Lifesaver has a program where a state or provincial cop rides on a train with 2 or more cops in patrol cars following along. The cop on the locomotive radios the patrols about gate jumpers and the ground units catch them and cite them. It gets the attention of the idiots and reduces the number of fatalities, at least for a while.
i live in a U.S. city with one of the largest populations and I'm familiar with the Amtrak route that crosses much of this city. Raised crossings are preferable but not always economically or geographically feasible. About a dozen north-and-southbound trains pass through on any day, and we rarely have collisions that make the local news. (The last really major one involved an idiot Metrolink train engineer texting-while-driving on that shared route.) So we either have increased train safety awareness, or a lot of close calls that don't make the local news.
3:15 Start asking them to identify and use the security cameras to see the vehicle's registration plate and apply maximum charges like $1,000 (US dollars) for anyone who's crossing a protected one during blinking lights, warning sounds and closing barriers. When they lose that much money, they won't try again which will save their lives in the future basically!
Truck drivers in the USA are under heavy pressure to meet their scheduled deliveries. Most are paid by the mile, which encourages them to rack up as many miles as possible on their shifts.
Here on the states they never blame the train engineers, but almost every truck crash is blamed on the driver before any investigation starts and as a retired semi driver we have crossing by the 100,s everyday and 100,s of people doing to us as they do to you
donald day Are you suggesting somehow the train drivers could be at fault? How on earth is a truck running red light into the path of a train that might take a mile to stop the fault of the train driver? He can't swerve, he can't really do anything other than slam on the brakes and hold on tight waiting for the impact. If a train hits a vehicle on a crossing, I can't envisage a scenario under which he could be held accountable. Thank goodness the authorities have the common sense to realise that too.
What about the school bus that got hit by a Metra train in Fox River Grove? The bus driver happened to be a substitute and not the regular driver and driver error and not the Metra killed seven kids. That was in October of 1995 on Union Pacific's former CNW. Union Pacific says that this crash still stands as the deadliest vehicle train crash in its history.
That accident was partly caused by the way the traffic signals at the intersection adoining the crossing were set up, and forced authorities to change the way traffic signal preemption at grade crossings is handled (they typically hold the green on the approach with the crossing long enough to ensure anyone between the crossing and the intersection can get out of there, which was not always the case historically)
One USA RR company, BNSF maybe, has a video for new train drivers in which they are told that on average a driver will see seven people killed in collisions with the trains they drive over a career.
Part of what encourages this behavior can be seen at 6:22 when that car crosses against the lights, and then they have a whole conversation and then cut to another scene 10 seconds later...and the train still hasn't come close to crossing the road. When some drivers get the idea that the lights mean "A train will be here in another 30 seconds to a minute," without realizing that that's not always true since trains aren't always going the same speed, they're all the more encouraged to beat the train.
this kind of thing happens in NA alot Plus NA uses the Morse Code for Q to honk/whistle at crossings Unless the crossing(s) is a designated Quiet Zone I think disobeying any crossing signs or gates should be double the fine
thing about it is the train only travels on the track and idiots have to cross the track to get to the other side ; so tell me who is responsible for looking out for an oncoming train
Australian trains need to use the horn that NA uses 2 longs 1 short & a extra long at railway crossings! last extra long is for going thru the crossing until the loco clears the crossing
Some may be surprised by the railroad crossing if there is no advance sign. In China they have an illuminated blue lamp below the *(o)T(o)* which stands out and indicates a railroad crossing. The blue lamp goes out when the mee-mool lights begin flashing.
It surprises me that Australia don't really seem to have advance warning signs (where I live (UK) most crossings do have advance warning signs, for level crossings with barriers, there is a triangular sign with a red border, and an image of a gate (but in my option, it looks a bit like a fence), and there is a sign beneath that one saying STOP when lights show, and at the top of the second sign (which is under the first one) there is an image of the 3 warning lights that UK crossings have, and for crossings without barriers the gate/fence image is instead a steam train, regardless of the type of crossing, the signs are usually located before the crossing)
I notice one difference from North American rail operators and that's the blib of the horn prior to a crossing. This film showed just one brief blip of the horn whereas in Canada and U.S. the driver will continue horn operation repeatedly until over the crossing.
Some people are just careless and some are highly impatient therefore raiseable barriers are needed at crossings that would prevent vehicles from moving close or on the track or tracks. These barriers are installed down into the roadways or on the sides that can be moved left or right to block vehicles.
You have to be careful not to sandwich vehicles between the barriers when they come up. (Remember that sometimes even a careful driver will be on the tracks at the moment when the lights come on and the gates come down.)
People don't know a train can't stop quickly due to the weight of the carriages or freight containers behind the locomotive. Also a train may look like it's going slower then in actually is if you're looking at it in the distance.
Maybe they need tire shredding devices installed on the far side of tracks that come out of the pavement when the red lights start flashing. That way if drivers pass after the warning are lit even if they make it, their tires won't. Loosing all your tires just might deter these dare devels. Especially after they beat a train and loose all their tires.
Put steel barriers that rise from the ground, so it will disallow passage to vehiles, put lights on top of them, cutting some installation expenses, you'll have a nice neat, reliable system & save lives & money.
I was thinking of them too. The thing I remember most from that was people on bikes biking round the first one but going more on the second and going flying over the handlebars. One of them didn't move and all the waiting drivers were freaking out.
did you see the road the passive one was on? how much traffic across the tracks do you think it had? its about money the railroad shouldn't have to pay since people should respect trains.
@@ronaldshank7589 I could be wrong, (I've been married for 26 years and am quite used to being wrong, LOL), but it looks like that driver was not paying attention and seen the cars stopping at the last minute. So rather than crashing into the cars, he tried to take the corner. Just my thought. Smiles!
I wonder what they do in countries like Japan, China, Italy, France, and others that have trains at 200kph. I think you will find they don't allow vehicles or people to cross the tracks. Meanwhile we have crossings right next to bends in the road, lights you can't see until you are almost right at the crossing, very little video surveillance, no punishment if someone runs the light (other than if they get killed) and trains that are so long and slow they would try anyone's patience. Study countries that don't have accidents and copy what they do.
Have seen a couple of videos on RU-vid where the lights and bells stop and the barricades go up and then the train comes through. You were abiding by the rules but something else messed up.
Australia has it right when some dolt in a car gets whacked by a train, they blame the driver of the car. Here in the assbackwards US, it's the railroad's fault for some reason.
HOW THE FUCK IT'S THE RAILROAD FAULT?YOU GOT STUPID PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO PLAY RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH THEIR CARS AND TRUCKS,WHEN THE WARNING LIGHTS AND GATES ARE COMING DOWN YOU DO NOT TRY TO CROSS IT SO THAT'S THE STUPIDITY OF THE DRIVERS.
@@dwightstewart7181 stop more quickly?? a mile and a half of tens of thousands of tons moving at 60mph. are you naive? i hope you're never behind me at a grade crossing.
I know we have a level crossings at artillery road Millburn and one at bushmills road or railway road what ever u want to call it in Coleraine but it's good it's there but people are still not listening
I don't believe that anybody is pressured enough that 1 minute will make a difference. The pressure is self-imposed. Some companies here in the states, however, do set up unreasonable time-frames, and their idea of a short day is 14 hours. That does lead to hurrying around, taking chances, etc. Then if anything becomes of it they point their crooked finger at the driver.....
@@commonsense3673 Sorry, my mistake I thought this one was four parts, it is only TWO part. I was thinking of my other clip -Part two ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ekfGxT65-3o.html
I treat is as a 4 way stop sign.. I NEVER trust anything. Seen videos where railroad crossing's never even alerted drivers.. So sad... For all the loss...
MANY DRIVERS JUST DONT PAY ATTENTION! MY FAVORITE GRADE CROSSING NEAR MISS INVOLVED A GASOLINE TANKER TRUCK! ONE MORNING A TANKER TRUCK CAME TO OUR RAILROAD TO FUEL UP ONE OF OUR LOCOMOTIVES! WE WERE RUNNING SPECIAL PASSENGER TRIPS THAT DAY AND HAD A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FOR THE EVENTS. LATER IN THE DAY WE WERE RUNNING A TRAIN SOUTH, WITH 150 PASSENGERS, AND A FUEL TANKER APPROACHED THE CROSSING FROM THE WEST AND FAILED TO STOP AND OBSERVE BEFORE CROSSING THE RAIL! THE TANKER WAS VERY NEAR CLIPPED, AND THE ENGINEER SAW IT WAS THE SAME TANKER THAT FUELED THE LOCOMOTIVE THAT MORNING! I WAS AT THAT TIME THE LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS SUPERVISOR AND MADE A REPORT OF THE INCIDENT TO THE OWNER OF THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR BUSINESS! AS IT WAS SATURDAY AFTERNOON THE OFFICE WAS CLOSED SO I LEFT A VOICEMAIL REQUESTING THE OWNER TO CALL ASAP! MONDAY MORNING AT THE DRIVERS AND EMPLOYEES LINE UP THE OWNER FIGURED SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND QUESTIONED HIS DRIVERS, AND THE GUILTY PARTY RESPONDED AND CONFESSED! HIS EXCUSE? "I FORGOT IT WAS SATURDAY AND THE TRAINS WERE RUNNING"!!!
American locomotives have crumple zones in the front as well. They’re meant to protect the crew if it collides with another train but very well protect them if they collide with anything smaller.
If you mess with a train you will never win if they run a red light fine them heavy or if they kill someone charge them with murder put them in Gaol for life and make them pay for any damages or injury caused
Place the best CCTV camera's on every crossing, these have to be good enough to get licence plate numbers, names on trucks and the like then identify addresses, then go around seize said vehicle or truck and put through a crusher, when they complain just say they were lucky they were not in it. Give no sympathy to stupidity.
TimberwolfC14 costs too much money. Deaths and lawsuits are cheaper. Was the same way in auto industry for decades. Cars were built that had known safety flaws but were not corrected because it was cheaper to pay wrongful death lawsuits than make the cars safer.
I know of 2 things they can do to limit the number of accidents. 1) Get a train horn that doesn't sound like it came off of their child's play set. Get horns that command respect (listen to the horns on American freight trains - there is a BIG difference). 2) When coming to a crossing, don't just "toot, toot" - no one will hear that with their windows rolled up. Instead, STAND ON THE HORN WITH A STEADY HORN well before you get to the crossing until you have the power unit all the way through it and the cars following it are blocking the intersection until the last one makes it through. America has a lot more crossings than Austrailia, and many of our crossings are unmarked as well. When the driver of a motor vehicle hears and then sees a massive train coming his way with a horn so loud that it wakes the dead, it will catch his attention in a BIG way.
I once lived near a crossing that had no gates, no lights, no nothing. You had to be very careful at night b/c it was totally dark and the horn was long gone by then. You could easily hit the train as it was moving.
A car weighs about 1 tonne and can stop within a few seconds, plus the friction on cars is much higher than on trains. Normal freight trains are about 3000 - 5000 tonnes and the friction is much lower. These idiotic people don’t get it, they think the train will stop for them
I reciprocate this. Extra traffic has nothing to do with any of the accidents. If you see a red light, you stop. If you don't, then you're dicing with death. Not a fault of level crossings PERIOD
Why not blow the train horn like they do in the US for rail crossings? At high speed, they start blowing the horn out to 1/2 mile away. You hear it before you get to the intersection.
If a quarter or more truck drivers feel the need to speed this is due to bad management at corporate level. This means the Corporation manager who overloaded the truck to save money (Corporations will do heavily illegal things to cut costs for their yearly bonuses) plus the receiver of the product puts a time limit until the receiver of the product can get a discount. Factor in at certain times of the day traffic happens and add that truckers are overworked/underpaid and often deprived of their families...well you will get these crashes and often. Yes the truck driver is at fault but investigations into corporate greed behavior will be the root cause a plethora of times
