There are an average of 83 fatalities on Australian rail lines every year.
A moment of distraction could change your life forever.
Near-miss and collision incidents occur regularly at pedestrian and vehicle railway crossings - especially on busy Adelaide Metro rail lines.
Ask yourself:
- ‘How often do I cross train or tram tracks?’
- ‘Do I pay attention when I cross?’
- ‘Do I know I can make it across safely considering my surroundings?’
The answer might surprise you.
The consequences for not observing railway line crossing rules can be far-reaching and potentially devastating.
In South Australia, we have 480 pedestrian rail crossings with around 350 on the metropolitan rail network, as well as 557 public railway road level crossings including 79 in metropolitan Adelaide.
On average, there are 110 near misses and 6 collisions between a train and pedestrian or vehicle per year.
All road level crossings on the metropolitan passenger rail network have active warning signals with flashing lights and boom gates.
Not all pedestrian crossings do.
If you don’t hear the train, you might not see the train.
Avoid the following behaviour for the safety of yourself and others:
- Walking behind one train and not seeing another train coming from the opposite direction.
- Using an umbrella, headphones, mobile phone, or other distractions.
- Having a conversation while crossing tracks.
- Following someone you presume has looked for trains before crossing.
Always make sure you:
- Only cross at dedicated crossings.
- Stand behind the white line at crossings and stations.
- Ensure you have time to cross both tracks before any danger presents.
Trains can’t stop quickly. Please don’t get in their path.
You might not realise that your actions at rail crossings are unsafe.
- Do you know where to safely cross a train or tram line?
- What do you do if warning lights, and boom gates start while you’re crossing?
Test your rail safety knowledge with the Rail Safety Quiz.