Skip to main content

UK move to improve rail crossing safety

A new move by the UK Government is intended to improve safety at rail crossings following a number of fatal crashes. The Transport Select Committee will hold an inquiry into the safety of the UK’s 8,000 level crossings. This move has been welcomed by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), which earlier called for the review. This move was one of seven recommendations among 113 put to the Transport Select Committee to be taken forward for its programme of activity into 2014. David D
June 25, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A new move by the UK Government is intended to improve safety at rail crossings following a number of fatal crashes. The Transport Select Committee will hold an inquiry into the safety of the UK’s 8,000 level crossings. This move has been welcomed by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (3446 PACTS), which earlier called for the review. This move was one of seven recommendations among 113 put to the Transport Select Committee to be taken forward for its programme of activity into 2014. David Davies, executive director of PACTS said, “PACTS is very pleased that the Transport Select Committee has taken up our suggestion to hold an inquiry to safety at level crossings. This will put the parliamentary spotlight on one of most critical areas of rail safety. PACTS will do all it can to support the Committee in this important inquiry.”

David Morris, former deputy chief inspector of railways and chair of the PACTS Rail Safety Working Party said, “Level crossings represent the largest single risk of catastrophic train accidents on Britain's rail network. In 2012, six people died at level crossing accidents (three in motor vehicles and three pedestrians).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK death rate not falling fast enough in The Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Report 2013
    September 26, 2014
    Road safety lobby groups have criticised Britain for pushing down its annual road fatality rate by a further 2% in the past year, the lowest figure since records began in 1926. The Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2013 (RRCGB) Annual Report, published in September 2014, reveals that 1,713 people were killed in road accidents in the country during 2013, with the number of people seriously injured down by 6% to 21,657 versus 2012.
  • Improved UK road safety required
    July 19, 2012
    Recent increases in road fatalities should be a wake-up call for the UK Government to step up and provide stronger leadership on road safety, say members of parliament in a report examining the Government's Strategic Framework for Road Safety.
  • Road safety improvement across Europe
    June 18, 2021
    Road safety improvements vary across Europe.
  • Phone safety move addressed
    October 31, 2019
    The UK Government is closing a legal loophole that has allowed drivers to escape prosecution for hand-held mobile phone use while behind the wheel. At present, the law prevents drivers from using a hand-held mobile phone to call or text. However, people caught filming or taking photos while driving have escaped punishment. Lawyers have successfully argued this activity does not fit into the ‘interactive communication’ currently outlawed by the legislation. The revised legislation will mean any drive