Death crash driver in Network Rail level crossing safety film

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

A young driver who caused the death of two friends when he crashed his car into a high speed train has taken part in a hard-hitting safety film.
Richard Fleming, 20, is in a Network Rail film being used to educate drivers of level crossing dangers.
Two years ago he was given a five-year custodial sentence after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.
In the film he said the crash at Delny level crossing, near Invergordon, had left him "broken and buckled".
Fleming, of Tain, Easter Ross, had been giving his friends a lift to college when he drove over an automatic level crossing, ploughing into a train.
The crash, in February 2007, killed 17-year-old Paul Oliver at the scene of the crash. Another passenger, Allan Thain, also 17, died five days later in hospital.
As Fleming's car had approached the crossing warning lights were flashing to alert drivers that a train was coming.
In the film, Fleming warns other drivers: "You don't want to lose any of your close friends through fooling about. Bad things can happen and they can change your life forever."
Speaking about the crash, he said: "I was just buckled and broken. It will always be with me emotionally."
A Network Rail spokesman said "Motorist misuse of level crossings is one of the biggest risks to the safe running of the rail network."
He added that Network Rail was committed to "educating young people in particular of the dangers".
The spokesman said: "The DVD of Richard Fleming is designed to be a tool to get across to young people the life-changing risks motorists take when they gamble with the lights at a level crossing."

[Phil]

From the Daily Mail (so it must be true)



"Pictured: The moment a trucker ignores warning lights and drives lorry into level crossing barriers"

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

McDonald, of Denton Burn, Newcastle, was fined ^170 and ordered to pay ^45 costs. He also had three penalty points added to his licence.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267244/Trucker-John-McDonald-ignores-warning-lights-drives-lorry-level-crossing-barriers.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0lYAG7dOz

what the f**k

you can get that for going 80 on the motorway!

[Super Guard]

And a car driver got ^600 fine, ^50 costs and 3pts... Nice to see consistency there.

[devon_metro]

Don't you get 3 points for speaking on a mobile phone (which yes I agree is dangerous) however arguably driving into a level crossing in a truck is far far worse.

[Phil]

When my kids were young, to alleviate boredom we used to play a game in the car where we'd say things like "Oh look, a little old lady crossing the road with a shopping trolley. Damn - missed her. That would have been ten points as well!" and basically see how many points we could theoretically accumulate on a journey*

I think we agreed the maximum points available could be scored by exceeding the speed limit, taking off from a humped-back bridge, and knocking a hot air balloon out of the sky containing the Pope and several wheelchair users on their way to Lourdes.

Must confess, even then I didn't consider the incredible stupidity of driving a truck-load of manure onto a busy railway crossing just as the barriers started to come down. It really does leave me completely speechless with a mixture of rage and incredulity.



*this probably goes some way towards explaining why I was always discouraged from road use. And neutered.