Network Rail targets high risk phone distraction crossings

The UK’s rail track owner, Network Rail, is using the latest technology in an effort to reduce the number of near misses as pedestrian cross the railway lines. Statistics revealed that 70% of near misses at crossings are due to distraction, with the top three being friends (40%), headphones (20%) and mobile phones (12%). Almost a third (29%) of young adults admit to using their mobile phone while crossing the railway and near misses rise from an average of 15/month in December and January to peak at 50 in S
July 17, 2017 Read time: 1 min
The UK’s rail track owner, 5021 Network Rail, is using the latest technology in an effort to reduce the number of near misses as pedestrian cross the railway lines.


Statistics revealed that 70% of near misses at crossings are due to distraction, with the top three being friends (40%), headphones (20%) and mobile phones (12%). Almost a third (29%) of young adults admit to using their mobile phone while crossing the railway and near misses rise from an average of 15/month in December and January to peak at 50 in September.

In response, Network Rail and British Transport Police are geo-targeting a number of crossings where phone distraction has been flagged as high risk. The technology, causes an advert to flash up in whatever app is being used using, and will display a safety message warning users to pay attention while crossing the railway.

UTC

Related Content

  • January 30, 2012
    Managed motorways, hard shoulder running aids safety, saves time
    The announcement that, in 2012/13, work to extend Managed Motorways to Junctions 5-8 of the M6 near Birmingham in the West Midlands is scheduled to start marks the next step for the UK's hard shoulder running concept, first introduced on the M42 in 2006. The M6 scheme is in fact one of several announced; over the next few years work will start on applying Managed Motorways to various sections of the M1, M25 London Orbital, M60 and M62. According to Paul Unwin, senior project manager with the Highways Agency
    Read More
  • September 26, 2019
    Sign language reduces human error says Clearview
    Wrong-way warning systems and advanced queue detection can help to reduce human error. They can also cut road accidents – and therefore road deaths, says Clearview Intelligence Where were nearly 1,800 deaths on the UK’s roads in 2018 – an average of five people dying each day. The largest single cause of serious injury is crashes at junctions (accounting for 33% of incidents), while the largest single cause of death was run-off road crashes (30%) “With vehicles increasingly being designed with saf
    Read More
  • December 23, 2015
    More than half of drivers want stricter penalties for mobile phone use
    As the Government announces plans for increased penalties for those using handheld mobile phones while driving, the UK and Europe’s largest used vehicle marketplace, BCA, reveals the growing frustration of UK motorists towards careless driving habits. Nearly 90 per cent of motorists who responded to a BCA survey of 445 road users said the use of a handheld mobile device while driving was ‘very distracting’, with 95 per cent claiming to have personally witnessed another motorist doing so. And over half (52 p
    Read More
  • November 11, 2015
    CRASH Predicts ‘unpredictable’ in traffic incidents
    Road crashes are not as random as they may appear and analysing data can reveal patterns that can help various authorities target their resources more accurately. David Crawford reports. Figures from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that in 2013 there were 32,719 people killed on American roads and 2.31 million injured. While these form part of an overall 25% drop over the decade from 2004, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx continues to stress that reaching the procl
    Read More

Highlighted Content