Article: Queensland Police get tough on daredevil drivers risking it all on rail

[Fares_Fair]

Article: Queensland Police get tough on daredevil drivers risking it all on rail crossings.
by: Rose Brennan
From: The Courier-Mail
August 20, 2012 12:00AM

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/police-get-tough-on-daredevils/story-e6freoof-1226453609188

POLICE have cracked down on drivers dicing with death at level crossings.
During a statewide police operation that ended yesterday, 314 infringement notices were issued to reckless pedestrians and motorists at level crossings.

Motorists failing to stop at level crossings topped the list of offences with 37 tickets issued, while 21 people were nabbed for using their mobile phones while driving.

Of the crossings targeted, two were selected after they were nominated by The Courier-Mail readers as traffic hot spots.

Submissions to the Traffic Hot Spots: You Drive the Change Campaign showed readers were frustrated by the risky behaviour witnessed at level crossings at Cavendish Rd at Coorparoo and Wacol Station Rd at Wacol, where drivers were running red lights and dodging boom gates.

PEDESTRIANS and motorists are dicing with death on Queensland's rail crossings at an alarming rate, with almost 500 near misses last year. . .

LEADFOOTS and lazy drivers disobeying stop signs have been the biggest concern for Queensland police during the first six months of The Courier-Mail's Traffic Hot Spots campaign.

Hotspots rail crossing graphic (SEE HYPERLINK FOR PICTURE)
Source: The Courier-Mail

Statistics obtained from Queensland Rail for the Traffic Hot Spot's campaign shows these stations as some of the most dangerous in the state.

There were eight reported near-misses at the Coorparoo level crossing to June 30 this year and half of the near-misses on the Ipswich line have been at Wacol, where five were reported.

The data also reveals that in the first six months of 2012 there have been 213 near-misses in the state, 130 of these in the southeast corner.

Queensland Rail's chief safety and environment officer, Greg Ford, said it was "doing everything possible to save lives" but motorists and pedestrians needed to "play their part and follow the rules".

Traffic Support Branch Acting Superintendent Ray Rohweder stressed that the consequences of rail accidents affects more than just the motorist or pedestrian.

"The effect on train drivers involved in accidents at level crossings stays with them for life. Motorists need to consider not only themselves but others when driving around these areas," Supt Rohweder said.

Pedestrians face a maximum penalty of a $200 fine and motorists face a $300 fine and three demerit points.

[Fares_Fair]

What about all the [cars and] trucks destroying boom gates and creating peak hour congestion delays?

They should look at the incident statistics (another reason to record and quantify force majeure incidents) and target those areas of regular disruption.

[Edit added]

[somebody]

What about all the trucks destroying boom gates and creating peak hour congestion delays?

They should look at the incident statistics (another reason to record and quantify force majeure incidents) and target those areas of regular disruption.

Trucks doing it?  Truckers are generally professional drivers and should know better by an even greater degree.

[Fares_Fair]

What about all the trucks destroying boom gates and creating peak hour congestion delays?

They should look at the incident statistics (another reason to record and quantify force majeure incidents) and target those areas of regular disruption.

Trucks doing it?  Truckers are generally professional drivers and should know better by an even greater degree.

Forgot to mention cars (now edited above), seen a few of them take out boom gates in my 11 & 1/2 years on the rails.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why it happens so often ...  :conf