Latest news with #traffic safety
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
New KiwiRail survey shows nearly half fail to stop or prepare to stop at rail crossings
The report says a simple 'Look for Trains' sign had significantly higher success getting drivers to stop and look. Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon Nearly half of motor vehicles fail to stop, or prepare to stop when approaching level crossings in research commissioned by KiwiRail. They were least likely to do so where there was just Give Way signs in place. The engineering and professional services consulting firm WSP observed more than 3600 drivers - 47 percent failed to stop at crossings with Stop signs, or were ready to stop at Give Way signs. Earlier research had found more than half of the deaths in serious level crossing collisions over a ten-year period occurred at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. There have been 25 collisions at crossings in the last two years. The report said 'Look for Trains' signs had significantly higher success getting drivers to stop and look - and a major recommendation of the review was to remove all Give Way signs for Stop signs. Chief operations officer at KiwiRail Paul Ashton told Nine to Noon the report helped them to further understand the challenges around passive crossings. A passive rail crossing is where there is a stop sign, give way sign or look for train sign. Crossings with barrier arms, bells and flashing lights are known as active protection crossings. "This research focused on the stop and give-way signs because there is evidence showing that compliance to the stop and give-way have been very very low, and the results of the survey re-enforce that we are just on 50 percent of people are failing to to that. "From a KiwiRail perspective this is both disappointing and very disturbing, disturbing on a number of fronts." Ashton said it was mostly in the rural areas where the passive signs were in place. He said in these places people were "sailing through" the crossings, often not slowing down or checking before crossings the tracks. The compliance crossing active crossings is much higher, Ashton said. "It is much higher because you have physical obstacles like barriers arms coming down to stop the traffic moving, but unfortunately we have had situations where people have driven around the barriers and we've had some very tragic incidents in the last 12 months as a result of that." To improve compliance, he said, they would be looking to add 'Look for Trains' signs at more crossings. "But it is still reliant on the responsibility of every vehicle driver to follow the rules, which is no different to us in our cars everyday at stop signs or give-way signs on the public roads." He said collisions and near misses also took a serious toll on KiwRail staff. There are 550 passive rail crossings and 750 active protective crossings around the country. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Why drivers don't stop at train crossings
Nearly half of motor vehicles fail to stop, or prepare to stop when approaching level crossings in research commissioned by Kiwirail. They were least likely to do so where there were just Give Way signs in place. The engineering and professional services consulting firm WSP observed more than 3600 drivers - 47 per cent failed to stop at crossings with Stop signs, or were ready to stop at Give Way signs. Earlier research had found more than half of the deaths in serious level crossing collisions over a ten-year period occurred at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. There have been 25 collisions at crossings in the last two years. The report says 'Look for Trains' signs had significantly higher success getting drivers to stop and look - and a major recommendation of the review was to remove all Give Way signs for Stop signs. Paul Ashton is chief operations officer at Kiwirail. Photo: Supplied by Kiwirail
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Orange County deputies are ticketing 100 people a month for going over 100 mph on the road
A super speeder law is now headed to the governor. The law aims to toughen penalties for people going over 100 miles per hour. House Bill 351 says exceeding the posted speed limit by 50 miles per hour or going over 100 miles per hour means a fine and/or jail time. For a first offense, the penalty is 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both. For a second offense, within five years, that could mean a 6-month license suspension, a fine of up to $1,000, and/or 90 days in jail. Sheriff John Mina is backing that bill. His agency alone is ticketing 100 people a month for going over 100 miles per hour. Telling WFTV, 'There were nearly 2,500 deaths in Florida last year as a result of speeding or reckless driving, so that's what we're trying to deter, and when you're going over 100 miles an hour, no one's going to survive that crash, no one, not the driver and not the people you hit.' Sheriff John Mina backed this legislation, which increased the penalties for those involved in street racing, street takeovers, or stunt driving last year. But it didn't stop a crowd from doing it just a few months after the law was passed, as the agency released video of a crowd at an Orange County intersection. The mob of at least 30 people was seen doing donuts in the middle of the road. One witness told deputies he was stopped at a red light when the crowd started attacking a Tesla and kicking in the windshield. Adam Benouttas was arrested and identified as one of the primary 'sliders,' performing dangerous stunt driving maneuvers, such as doughnuts, in the intersection during the event. The sheriff says these events have decreased since the law was passed, and he hopes that dangerous driving will decrease too if this super speeder law passes. Mina said, 'The old adage is you can't outrun the radio, right? Eventually, we're going to catch up to you. Most people who run from the police are going to get caught at some point, whether it's that day or the next day or the next, but even if they do, that's fine. We'll find them. We will go to their house, we will impound their vehicle, we will seize their vehicle, and we will get them another day. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
