Courts were urged last week to pass tougher sentences on motorists who jump lights and dodge barriers at level crossings, after the number of incidents reached a five-year high.
Judges and magistrates should ‘stamp down’ on motorists too impatient to obey warnings at rail crossings, Network Rail said, as it revealed that more than 3,400 incidents were recorded last year, causing 15 deaths.
On average, more than three motorists a week were involved in a near miss because they ignored warning signs and lights or wove round barriers. There were 20 collisions between trains and vehicles.
Pedestrians were also putting themselves at risk, with more than five a week involved in near misses, Network Rail said. It released dramatic video footage of a man vaulting over a level crossing barrier and sauntering across the rails, only for a train to arrive at high speed and catch his foot, sending his shoe spinning into the air.
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