CROSSING ESCAPES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21913, 24 September 1934, Page 11

CROSSING ESCAPES

FOOLHARDY MOTORISTS ATTEMPTS TO RACE TRAINS NEEDLESS RISKS TAKEN Some remarkable escapes from death or serious injury are experienced by drivers of vehicles who attempt to beat trains to level crossings. Although it is an offence to race a train to a crossing, some motorists apparently prefer to risk death and the possibility of a fine rather than stop for a few moments until the train has passed. In addition to accidents, all narrow escapes are reported by enginedrivers to the Railway Department.

Frequently only the watchfulness of the enginedriver lias avoided collisions with reckless motorists. In one instance it has been reported that although warning devices were in operation and a blast of the locomotive's engine had been given a motorist attempted to beat a train to a crossing. Even though tho brakes of the train were applied only one foot separated the ear from disaster. In other similar cases the margin of safety has not been so small, but only the presence of mind of the enginedriver has averted a collision.

Particularly glaring instances of the impatience and foolhardiness of some motorists are provided at crossings when signalmen are on duty. Sometimes their signals are ignored and even when road users are hailed they seemingly prefer to risk prosecution rather than stop for a few moments. However, it is not always the impatience of motorists which produces narrow escapes from accident at level crossings. A break-down at a crossing may place the driver of a vehicle in an awkward predicament. There was an instance of a fault in the carburetter of a motor-car causing it to stop in the middle of a crossing. A train came upon it suddenly, but by applying the emergency brake the enginedriver was able to bring the train to a standstill just short of the stranded vehicle. Another similar predicament aroso from the collapse of the wheel of a lorry heavily laden with timber while crossing a railway line. The driver immediately telephoned the nearest railway station to warn rail traffic of the trouble, but a train had already left, travelling toward tho crossing. However, the driver of tho lorry ran along the line toward the train, which was stopped in time. The timber was unloaded from the lorry, which was then shifted to enable the train to pass. Passengers on trains and pedestrians near railway lines also sometimes take unnecessary risks. School children are particularly thoughtless in needlessly jumping off trains before they have come to a standstill and in running across lines in front of approaching trains.