Accidents at Level Crossings

The critical point of railways are the places where they cross roads, i.e. level crossings. Crossings as such have existed on the railway since its inception, but in a completely different mode. There were significantly fewer crossings and many times the number of crossings that were protected by warning crosses, previously referred to as "Unprotected". At some crossings, the only security was made up of barriers, which were operated by a barrier operator right at the crossing.

There are several causes of accidents at railway crossings. The presented article lists the main causes that lead to serious accidents at railway crossings in the Czech Republic. These include: poor meteorological conditions; inappropriate location of the crossing; alcohol behind the wheel; driver inattention; using mobile phones while driving; ignorance of the law; and the impact of changes in society. Driver inattention can be caused by many phenomena. According to the survey, the most common causes of inattention are using or calling on a mobile phone while driving without using a hands-free kit. and then shows options for preventing accidents. At the end, there are proposals for measures to reduce the number of accidents at crossings, which need to be incorporated into the legislation.

Keywords: Rail crossing, Signal, Gravity, Statistical evaluation, Critical analysis, Measures to reduce accidents.

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