Speeding Trains Miss Reckless People By Seconds At Level Crossings

This shocking footage shows how close people have come to being killed at level crossings on Britain’s railways.

Reckless pedestrians, motorists and cyclists were all caught on CCTV cameras narrowly avoiding being knocked down by speeding trains.

The British Transport Police (BTP) released the video this week to warn of the dangers at level crossings.

The 73-second clip sees a host of close calls.

One dopey man in Dalcross, near Inverness, Scotland, can be seen calmly walking across the railway seconds before a train hurtles by.

Another idiotic cyclist smashed head first into the barrier as it’s lowered in Spondon, Derbs, before he retrieves his bike from the tracks in a daze.

And a final clip shows a bungling Vauxhall Corsa driver becoming trapped in the middle of a level crossing after she ignored the barriers descending.

The female motorist manages to quickly reverse along the tracks and pull away narrowly avoiding disaster.

She was given a £135 fine and six penalty points on her licence following the near-miss in Narborough, Leics.

Inspector Becky Warren, from BTP, said: “We have seen a drop in the number of offences at crossings, but there are still far too many people risking their lives.”

BTP recorded more than 3,500 offences at crossings during 2014/15, with more than 2,500 offenders identified and dealt with.

The force released the footage as part of their Operation Look campaign, in a bid to stop people taking unnecessary risks.

Network Rail will be contacting colleges and universities located close to level crossings to remind students how to keep themselves safe.

Darren Cottrell, head of level crossing safety at Network Rail said: “Though Britain has one of the best level crossing safety records in the world, we are not complacent as still far too many near misses and incidents occur.

"Reminding people about the dangers of the railway and how to stay safe at level crossings is a vital part of our efforts to get everyone home safe, every day.

"This week, we are especially focussing our efforts on students and young people, who are the target of our new level crossing safety campaign.

"The message to them is relevant for us all: stay alert and stay safe.”

(Pictures credited to NTI)