Police drive home dangers of jumping level crossings

Published on Monday 18 January 2010 21:44

A DRIVER was charged with failing to stop at a level crossing yesterday as police launched a new crackdown on safety.

British Transport Police and Network Rail staff were carrying out a day of action at dozens of crossings across Scotland as part of Operation Galley to cut the number of accidents caused by drivers flouting safety measures.

While police were targeting drivers in Insch in Aberdeenshire a local man was stopped by officers who had been giving out advice. A BTP spokesman confirmed that a 67-year-old local driver had been stopped and charged at about 12:30pm.

The national day of action saw similar events held across the country, including at Ardrossan, Kirknewton, Carnoustie, Broughty Ferry, Blackford in Perthshire and Camperdown in Dundee.

For the first time the BTP used covert filming as well as high visibility police patrols to get the message across to drivers in Caithness.

The operation included efforts at Halkirk, where three people were killed in September and where there was a collision between a van and a train on 9 January. The van driver was later charged.

A crackdown on motorists was launched last year and train drivers threatened a 20mph go-slow due to safety fears at crossings.

During 2009, a total of 185 incidents of drivers going through warning lights at level crossings were reported to BTP officers in Scotland.

Of these, 104 were detected and the drivers reported to the procurator fiscal.

Inspector Bob Cameron, who heads the north sector of the BTP, said using cameras would allow police to show drivers footage of them misusing crossings, while it may also be used as evidence.

He said: "The statistics for accidents at level crossings make chilling reading and drivers must realise that there will only be one loser if crossings are not used in the way they were designed.

"It is unfortunate that there are still those who think they can take a risk when approaching a level crossing, and in these cases we will have no hesitation in prosecuting them."

Mark Henderson, Network Rail community safety manager for Scotland, said level crossings were safe if drivers obeyed the rules of the road.

But he said: "All too often we see a small minority jumping red lights in an attempt to shave a few seconds off their journeys. During the winter, when motorists face additional hazards on the road, it's even more important to drive with care on the approach to level crossings."

There are 23 open level crossings in Scotland, 21 of which are in the Highlands and Islands.