Rail crossing safety questioned in France

The safety of rail crossings is being questioned in France. This follows a fatal collision involving a school bus and a train. Five of the children on the bus were killed in the crash, with another 18 people being injured, including 14 children. The bus had been carrying 20 children when it was involved in the collision with the train, at a crossing close to the Spanish border and around 18km west of Perpignan. The crossing is said to have been functioning correctly according to the French rail operator, SN
December 20, 2017 Read time: 1 min

The safety of rail crossings is being questioned in France. This follows a fatal collision involving a school bus and a train. Five of the children on the bus were killed in the crash, with another 18 people being injured, including 14 children. The bus had been carrying 20 children when it was involved in the collision with the train, at a crossing close to the Spanish border and around 18km west of Perpignan. The crossing is said to have been functioning correctly according to the French rail operator, SNCF. Following this collision there were 36 people killed in crashes at rail crossings in France during 2017, compared with 31 for 2016. However according to the Transport Ministry, human error is the cause of 98% of collisions at rail crossings.

Related Content

  • Road safety improvements for Brazil
    August 23, 2021
    Road safety improvements are planned for Brazil.
    Read More
  • The hanging Honda
    August 10, 2018
    Police in Toronto are still mystified as to how and why a stripped-out Honda was left dangling from a busy bridge. At first it was thought the car had been placed there as part of a movie shoot, but it was quickly realised that this was not the case and no request had been filed to carry out such a stunt. The car was stripped of any identification as well as many mechanical components, reducing its weight sufficiently for it to be suspended from a single cable. After a period left hanging, the vehicle was l
    Read More
  • Concern at Cambodia’s high road death rate
    January 4, 2017
    Concern is being expressed in Cambodia at its high road death rate. Official data from the National Police reveals that there were 1,717 people reported killed in crashes in Cambodia during 2016. January 2016 saw the greatest number of fatal incidents, while there were also 6,607 people seriously injured in road crashes throughout the year. Key factors in causing crashes include drink driving, speeding, breaking road traffic laws and being excessively tired while driving. The highest numbers of people being
    Read More
  • French road deaths cause for concern
    August 29, 2017
    France has achieved major results in reducing road deaths in the last 10 years but now appears to have hit a barrier with regard to better road safety. The figures for road deaths in July 2017 were better than for 2016. There were 346 fatalities in July 2017 compared with 356 road deaths in July 2016. However there were 5,121 crashes in July 2017, an increase of 41 from July 2016. At the same time there were 7,204 injuries in July 2017, an increase of 226 from July 2016, although serious injuries requiring
    Read More

Highlighted Content