Skip to main content

What train?

An inexperienced driver in Tasmania is hiding his red face after wrecking his Toyota Hilux pick-up truck in a recent accident. The inattentive driver crashed into a moving train at an unguarded crossing equipped with warning lights and bells.
February 21, 2012 Read time: 1 min
An inexperienced driver in Tasmania is hiding his red face after wrecking his Toyota Hilux pick-up truck in a recent accident. The inattentive driver crashed into a moving train at an unguarded crossing equipped with warning lights and bells. An examination of the safety equipment showed that the audible and visual warnings were functioning at the time of the accident. The locomotive driver brought the undamaged train to a halt immediately after the incident. Luckily the driver of the Toyota was unharmed, although his vehicle was wrecked beyond repair. Exactly how he managed to miss being aware of the train or the crossing warnings has yet to be explained. It is reported that his car radio was playing loudly prior to the incident but it is not clear if the volume was set so eye-poppingly high as to interfere with his vision.

Related Content

  • HxGN Live 2014 attracts record event numbers
    August 28, 2014
    Attracting an HxGN Live event record-breaking 3,500 attendees, HxGN Live 2014 held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, US, June 2-5 showcased exciting new and in-demand design, measurement and visualisation technologies for industries including road construction and mining. Themed Great Stories Start Here, this year’s event also included a variety of exclusive presentations by industry experts, hands-on training, inspiring keynotes and international networking opportunities. Guy Woodford reports In
  • Bridge collapse on key I-5 route in Washington State
    June 24, 2013
    The news that a key highway bridge has collapsed in the US comes as gloomy reading for all in the highway sector. When a section of the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Skagit River in Washington failed in May 2013, a number of vehicles were plunged into the river. Luckily no-one was killed in the incident on the route, which is one of the main links between the US and Canada, and the parallel bridge was able to carry traffic, albeit with delays for users.
  • A virtual virtuous circle
    January 18, 2021
    Virtual sensors will allow a safer driving experience and reduce road maintenance costs. Tactile Mobility’s Eitan Grosbard talks to David Arminas
  • The hands-free debate is just one side of driver distraction
    August 13, 2019
    A debate about hands-free and hand-held phone use is welcome, but if we want to improve road safety and stop killing people it misses the point, explains Shaun Helman, TRL's chief scientist The Transport Committee’s report on driving and mobile phones is to be welcomed, for focusing attention on a pressing and growing road safety issue. As someone who provided evidence to the committee, I don’t need convincing that the use of a mobile device while controlling a vehicle is something that must be considered