Tragic accidents: Children die at unrestricted level crossings!
Tragic accidents: Children die at unrestricted level crossings!
In the past few days, two tragic accidents have occurred in untrained level crossings in Upper Austria, which are concerned about nationwide. On the same day, two six -year -old boys were killed in Eferding and Ottensheim while they were in front of their relatives. According to Today the traffic lights showed red in both accidents, and the train drivers could also not prevent the children from being captured.
These shocking events have drawn attention to the dangers of ungregated level crossings. State Councilor Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ) announced a comprehensive review of all level crossings in the region. The specialist committee plans to inspect the two affected train stations between June 20 and 25 in order to check the possibility of installing barriers. The mayor of Ottensheim, Maria Hagenauer, emphasizes the urgency of a solution, even if the place for a barrier system is very limited.
a problem with many facets
The accidents in Upper Austria are not the first of its kind. Around 30 to 40 accidents at level crossings occur in Austria every year, with unrestricted transitions being particularly affected. In Germany, the situation does not look much better: as BR>, there were 46 accidents in Bavaria in Bavaria. It is particularly alarming that more than 95 percent of these collisions are due to inattentiveness, carelessness or ignorance of road users.
The dangers of ungrumled level crossings have been known for a long time. Historically, such transitions often emerged on low -traffic routes. However, there are now critical considerations as to whether they are still up to date due to the rising traffic volume and the higher speeds. According to the research information system, railways have not sufficient option at speeds of over 160 km/h, which increases the risk of accidents at untrained transitions. Deutsche Bahn also spent around 170 million euros annually for the modernization and securing of level crossings.
The search for solutions
An effective solution requires the cooperation of different actors. The legislation should perhaps be overhauled to replace level crossings with safer structures such as bridges or tunnels, as has been considered since 1980. In Germany, it has now become a practice to only approve new level crossings in exceptional cases. Nevertheless, Germany and Austria still count numerous unrestricted transitions, which not only pose a danger, but also tempt road users to take care.
The pressure on politics grows to take clear measures and increase safety at level crossings. Because the tragic incidents of the past few days make one thing clear: something has to change here urgently to prevent further deaths.
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| Ort | Eferding, Österreich |
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