This year, nearly 60 accidents involving cars have been recorded at railway crossings across Latvia

A railway is a high-risk area where particular vigilance and caution must be exercised in its vicinity. Every year, dozens of accidents are recorded at or near railway crossings and, as the statistics show, most accidents are related to driver inattention and careless disregard for traffic regulations.

Statistics from Latvijas dzelzceļš SJSC (LDz) show that six collisions between cars and trains have already occurred in the first 10 months of this year. In addition, every year accidents are also recorded in which the operation of safety barriers or traffic lights is disrupted due to driver recklessness and inattention. This year, 50 accidents in which the operation of safety barriers was disrupted and three accidents in which the operation of railway-crossing traffic lights was disrupted have been recorded at railway crossings across Latvia.

In recent years, the number of accidents at railway crossings has not decreased significantly, leading to the conclusion that society as a whole does not pay sufficient attention to crossing railway crossings safely. However, over a longer period of time—the past 20 years—improvements to railway-crossing infrastructure have helped reduce the number of accidents.

“Drivers often fail to think, in their haste, about the risks that may arise when the rules at railway crossings are ignored—damage to a car is insignificant compared with the risk of losing one’s life. Moreover, by breaking the rules, drivers endanger not only their own lives but also the lives of train passengers. Therefore, I urge drivers to spare an extra minute at a railway crossing and, without taking unnecessary risks, reach their destination safely,” says Dainis Zvaners, LDz’s chief technical inspector.

Drivers can be impatient and reckless, crossing railway crossings when a train is approaching and deliberately ignoring lowered safety barriers as well as flashing warning signals. In addition, drivers often fail to calculate whether there will be enough room for them beyond the railway tracks, thereby creating a serious threat to the safety of others and to their own lives. There is also a tendency for drivers not to bring their vehicles to a complete stop before a STOP sign or road marking and not to make sure it is safe before crossing the railway tracks.

To promote safety at railway crossings, LDz would like to remind drivers of a few simple rules that will significantly reduce the risk of accidents. Before crossing a railway crossing, stop the car to make sure it is safe, observe warning signals, road signs and the crossing barrier, and assess whether you will be able to cross the tracks completely without stopping on them.

As previously reported, in June this year LDz, in cooperation with well-known young people, released a song entitled “Learn the song—save yourself from the train!” to draw the public’s attention to and emphasise compliance with safety rules near railway tracks. Tennis player Aļona Ostapenko, singer Markus Riva, Latvian rallycross driver Reinis Nitišs, Latvia’s professional roller skater and inline skater Nils Jansons, and YouTube blogger Sindija Lo took part in creating the campaign song. One of the song’s verses specifically calls on motorists to pay attention to safety and compliance with traffic regulations near railway tracks: “When you are behind the wheel, if the red light is flashing, stop; it is safest not to hurry, and then the train will not crash into your side.”