Network Rail has launched a new campaign encouraging students in Wales to take care at level crossings as it is revealed that 108 young people on the Wales route were involved in a near miss with a train at a level crossing in the past five years.
In the majority of the instances involving young people at level crossings, they appear to have been distracted, listening to music through headphones, and not alert to the dangers posed by crossing the railway.
The campaign comes as thousands of young people embark on new courses at colleges and universities all over the country. Many students will be unfamiliar with their new surroundings, and may have never lived in an area with level crossings. The safety team will aim to improve awareness of how different level crossings operate and how to stay safe.
Over the coming weeks, level crossing managers across Wales will aim to visit colleges and universities in close proximity to level crossings. They will be handing out leaflets and stick-on guides for mobile phones, reminding students about the importance of staying alert when crossing the railway.
Among the advice that the level crossing team will be giving, they will be urging young people to: avoid distraction, stay alert, never assume that they know train patterns or that a second train isn’t coming if the warnings continue, and never jump the lights or the barriers.
British Transport Police is supporting the student level crossing campaign. They are visiting level crossings, schools and colleges, alongside Network Rail’s safety teams, all over the country this week as part of Operation Look promoting level crossing safety awareness.
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