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The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) have released UK railway safety statistics in its 2007 annual safety performance report. Railway accidents involving on-board passenger fatalities are at one of their lowest recorded levels. Only one on-board passenger death was recorded; after the Greyrigg derailment in February 2007.
The report illustrated that railway safety standards are improving; however, the main area of concern was the frequency of railway accidents at level crossings.
In 2006, five pedestrians were killed at level crossings; in 2007 the figure rose to nine. Three people died in vehicle collisions with trains on level crossings during the year.
Industry experts fear that level crossing accidents have the potential to yield the most catastrophic' safety results.
Director of policy, research and risk at the RSSB, Anson Jack, said, "This is a significant challenge for the railway and for local authorities. The industry is doing most of the appropriate things that it can do. The Government would have to eradicate all the crossings in Britain, as they have done in Israel, and install bridges to remove the risk."
A Highland MSP has recently raised questions in Scottish Parliament about the safety of open level crossings, after a car collided with a train at the Bunchrew level crossing near Inverness. The driver had a miraculous escape and luckily not one of the forty passengers on board the train were hurt.
And even more recently, a train crashed into a delivery van on a level crossing at Bardon Mill in Northumberland where it is believed the van driver may not have followed correct safety procedure for a self-operated gate. At such a level crossing the driver must use the phone provided to call the nearby signalman, but on this occasion the signalman received no call.
There were no reports of passenger injury but the driver was treated for a minor head wound. The van driver also received minor injuries.
The worry for industry experts is that level crossing misuse has the potential to cause a major rail accident with multiple on-board passenger injuries. However, they believe that improvements in technology and a desire by senior managers to keep safety at the forefront of people's consciousness will play a major role in improvements to railway safety.
Railway accidents and claiming compensation with YouClaim
If you have been injured in any type of railway accident that was not your fault you may be able to claim 100% compensation on a no win no fee basis with YouClaim.
We have many years of experience in dealing with a wide spectrum of compensation claims. Our panel of expert personal injury solicitors has helped thousands of people, all over the UK, to win a compensation award.
Call us today on 0800 10 757 95 to discuss you railway accident claim. Or you can arrange for a time that we can call you back. Alternatively, fill in the online claim form and we will contact you to discuss the claim further. However you choose to contact us here at YouClaim, you can be assured of the very best service and advice available.
