Intermission- Fatal Crashes

I know most of you are expecting the next lot of garratts but I felt the need to deviate to a more serious subject.

Over the past year there has been an abnormal mumber of deadly collisions on our rail networks. All of them have been the fault of incoming vehicles either ignoring the level crossing and proceeding straight through, foolishly driving on the railroad tracks (this occured in a recent crash at Monarto here in SA, fortunately no one was killed) or not keeping a lookout for trains.

Last week the latest fatality occured in Victoria, involving a family returning from Easter holiday who did not see the train coming and did not stop. Immediately there has been calls for flashing lights and full crossing gear to be fitted to every level crossing in Victoria, regardless of isolation. Not only is this expensive, it would be in many areas a waste of time given that in some places trains may only run once or twice every couple of weeks. The Victorian transport minister has called for councils to close areas of road crossing such zones. This is impractial- the roads must surely be used by some people- and will the government fork out extra cash to build replacemtns? Unlikely.

What is needed tis the tightening of laws concerning unguarded level crossings- even though this is common sense, ALWAYS stop the car, look both ways- if there is a train coming AT ANY DISTANCE do not proceed- one remebers a bus getting stuck in the tracks at Salisbury Station and the resulting collision killing several schoolchildren and injuring others.

As long as drivers believe that they can ignore the signs and foolishly zip through level crossings in the country there will continually be accidents.