<\/p>\n
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says details of police charges against a truck driver who caused a collision with a full-laden freight train in Katherine, Northern Territory, reinforce the need for a new approach to level crossing safety.<\/span><\/p>\n RTBU Assistant National Secretary Shayne Kummerfeld said that according to NT Police<\/a>, the truck driver failed to observe the pre-warning light, level crossing, and boom gates as he approached the crossing.<\/p>\n Faced with insufficient room to bring the truck to a controlled stop, the driver attempted to accelerate across the tracks, resulting in a collision with a train.<\/p>\n The truck driver has now been issued a summons to appear in court charges that include recklessly endangering life\/serious harm, reckless damage to property, driving dangerously, careless driving, driving using a handheld mobile device, and entering a level crossing when warning lights were active.<\/p>\n Police will allege the driver was distracted using a handheld mobile device immediately before the collision, in which four people were injured (including the truck driver).<\/p>\n “T<\/b>he details of the charges were extremely concerning for workers in the rail industry,” Kummerfeld said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen stop signs, flashing lights and boom gates still don\u2019t stop people from driving through boom gates, it\u2019s clear that the message on level crossing safety just isn\u2019t getting through.<\/p>\n \u201cThe collision in Katherine could have been much worse. Luckily, everyone escaped with their lives \u2013 that time.\u00a0\u00a0But as we saw at Bindarrah on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a>, these collisions can be fatal.\u201d<\/p>\n Kummerfeld said that Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) statistics showed there were, on average, over 500 \u2018near misses\u2019 at level crossings every year.<\/p>\n \u201cRail workers support the call for an urgent national level crossing summit,” he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current approach is not working, so we need to look at ramping up grade separations, stronger penalties for people who encroach on rail corridors, and other warning technologies.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything needs to be on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n The post Katherine collision highlights need for crossing safety summit<\/a> appeared first on Rail Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says details of police charges against a truck driver who caused a \u2026 <\/p>\n The post Katherine collision highlights need for crossing safety summit<\/a> appeared first on Rail Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[170,184,320,166,163,172,169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-freight-rail","category-industry-safety","category-level-crossing-safety","category-operations-and-maintenance","category-rail-industry-news-australia-new-zealand","category-rtbu","category-safety-and-standards"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t