Young pedestrians ‘clueless’ about level crossing safety

Network Rail has launched a new pedestrian safety campaign on the back of new research which suggests young adults are ‘dicing with death’ at level crossings.

The Network Rail research, published on 16 May, suggests that 22% of 18-24 year olds would jump warning lights at a level crossing if they were in a hurry; while only 36% believe that going onto railway tracks is ‘extremely dangerous’.

More than a third of 18-24 year olds admitted to not knowing the guidance around how to use a level crossing safely, with only 4% of respondents mentioning ‘stop, look, listen’.

The new pedestrian safety campaign is aimed at young people and will see safety messages promoted on social media across the summer months.

Network Rail has also teamed up with EON Reality to produce a series of virtual reality films‏‏ which can be used to educate level crossing users, including young adults.

2017 saw a 12% increase in incidents at crossings – from accidents and near-misses to deliberate trespassing.

Allan Spence, head of public and passenger safety at Network Rail, said: “A lack of knowledge around how dangerous the tracks can be means more people are not taking proper care at level crossings and putting themselves in danger.

“We are investing more than £100m to improve level crossing safety across Britain as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, but we need everyone who uses level crossings to do their bit too.

“By understanding how to use a crossing safety and paying attention to the warnings at level crossings, we can all keep ourselves out of harm’s way.”

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