SAFETY FIRST.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16, 20 January 1926, Page 10

SAFETY FIRST.

AT LEVEL CROSSINGS. I i PROTECTION FOR THS PUBLIC, i Mi-.l'l.'.'lJ-. "F UF.PACTMEM. As '.-.!-- .1- mot,,r■'-t - a;-.- ne-.; g.»in or r» ■.:.'■-- " accidents ■)'■ '•' ci railway , ri- ,--.00- ; are in.". . .tide. in -pi*-' ■'! ail . . ~ ~;•-.,..,;,- -ois - ;e .. ; : .•.".■;.- ii a.v M^O. i" :e v. ... of tie R.i .vi • I )-| m" aicnt I " -.- he p.- ,- .-o.a of warning -.glial- at , - ~,i. - v.-...r- '.- i'-i -hv.)'. I.no .ii'! • -~- p. !,,;; ■ road inn 'ti'Mi, 1.1- become ..i.-i-ea.-.-.-.-.iv ...>a\ v w -." . t.-.e increa-c ;-. a- e.-n :" uild i.e. e--.i:"v to provide •\ aming r.o:.ccs at a n'.u ■ i greater .:.-- ---• in. c ■'.- :n - :e ■■:". --lug Mall was :ie. c- - i •-. w -en aif ■••-.;:• i» :i .---i.'le- cere t.ie ~:-., y read l-ci--. ! - p..-'.:'-.n ...I- Iwn [lie: .-- !_,,,' ~ v.\ .- :. -; "loi. *IV ' I'OSle-. el crossing.. j Types of Signals. I r- has !,een found from recent tests! parried out by the In:;.',; \M'i" Bureau of Stan.lards' rear under " ie v.-ry best, .11.!:: lons of prepnrodiii-s- •>< '•:" half a second will col,. be" xeen [ie■ mc thattie driver of tne motor a.i- re eiveil a! warning ro -top tit.l the beg liming ot i tie application of the uniM'. in order j words, these te.-ts nave shown tiiat. wiien 1.-.ivellmg .11. thirty Hides per hour the] driver who is expecting uiv instant tobe compelled to stop will allow his car to travel 11 f-et. before ]~ begins to, slow down. This ;'.i "in the psycho- . logy of mental rea.'ion to i.-uul or oilier warnings should '■>' .c-;er under-1 .stood by drivers of motor vehicles, as. a. fuller appreciation -if tins dangers i which they run by nearle.-t to allow for | the hesitancy thus .-reared would do j much towards the reduction of accidents] an level crossings. j Another method adopted by t.ie Hail- 1 way Department for reducing the possi- i bility of accidents an level crossings i- I toe provision of aural, or visual, warning devices. These consist either of automatic j .warning bells or moving visual signals. The former are track circuited in such a way that immediately the engine of an approaching train reaches within a pertain distance of the crossing, the hells commence to ring, and continue ringing until the train has cleared the crossing. The disc type of automatic Hag visual signal known as he "wig-wag" is actuated under similar conditions to ! those applying to the warning hell type. I The signal commences to wave at the road crossing as soon as any train approaches. These signals also have belli attachments which ring as long as the I red disc waves. At night, the signal j shows a red light disc waving across the! line of vision of an approaching vehicle whenever a. train is. or is about to be, | crossing the road. The total number of j level crossings fitted with warning bells and other devices up to the 315t .March last was 70. ' In addition to the provision of warning devices, negotiations are being car-! ried on with the local bodies concerned 1 in regard to th» conversion of certain busy level crossings by means of subways or overhead bridges. The Railway Department is also working in conjunction with the Alain Highway's Board in carrying out. proposals for road improvements affecting public level crossings over the railway. Records of Accidents. The report of personal accidents at let"..! crossings during the first -'52 weeks of the current railway year (i.e., since .Ist April last) shows a slight increase over the total number for a similar period Is. the previous years. There have been three non-fatal accidents and one f;,tal accident in the tally oj. accidents to pedestrians this year, as against one fatal accident last year. There have been three fatal and eight non-fatal accidents with motor vehicles in the current year as against eight non-fatal accidents la-r. year, while the accidents in connection with horse and other vehicles this year have been one fatal and one non-fatal, as against last year's three non-fatal, making totals of 17 persons affected bylevel crossing accidents during the current year, as against, 1:2 during the same period for the previous year. Front Ist April to 7th November, i!) 2.">, there were 6') collisions between trains) and vehicles of various classes. It is quite evident that there is room for •considerable improvement in the care exercised by motorists, in particular when approaching railway crossings, and as a further means of helping to protect the drivers of these vehicles against themselves the Railway Department is about to issue a new level crossing warning poster which will he widely distributed and exhibited, and which is intended to further inculcate the principle of safety first in connection with level crossings.