Level Crossings.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18264, 24 December 1924, Page 10

Level Crossings.

The correspondent who writes to us to-day to fix upon the Bailway Department the blame for accidents at level crossings is no doubt expressing a view that is widely held. But it is no more than fair to the Department, which has sins enough to account for, to insist that it is as nearly blameless as possible in this matter. In nearly all the accidents at level crossings a motor-car is concerned, and in every case the accident is caused by the carelessness of the motorist. It could hardly be otherwise in the nature of things. The accidents always, or practically always, happen in broad daylight, and they happen because the motorist forgets or ignores a danger which is pointed out to him with perfect clearness before he encounters it. A railway crossing is a dangerous spot, and the Department has provided warnings of the danger for all travellers who tare to pay attention to warnings at all. If a motorist chooses to take the risk of crossing a railway line without taking any precautions, or the precautions which the conditions make obviously neeenary to the careful driver, that is his own fault. The Department's position was put quite clearly and fairly in the General Manager's last report. After mentioning the special steps taken by the Department to encourage- motpritta -to take care, £he

Manager says that "still too many "accidents take place at level iross"ings," and he adds that "warning "bells and other automatic similar "appliances, sis well as the signal? of "crossing-keepers, arc not'ißfrequently "disregarded." He then goes on to discuss subways and ovcrbridges as "the only- absolutely effective means "of safeguarding motorists against •'their own carelessness." There, in fact, is the problem: the carelessness of those who cross a line of railway. Wo cannot see why very elaborate and expensive arrangements should be made to dispense the motorist from the duty of being careful in the face of obvious danger. No reasonable motorist will say that it is a hardship to be obliged to drop from 40 to 8 miles an hour once or twice, for a minute or so each time, in the course of a day's travelling.