How many times have you looked ahead while driving and became annoyed because of the red light was flashing at the railway crossing? Too many to count? Yes, you want to get home to your family, or perhaps you’re late for an appointment and you think, “I can run that light before the train arrives.”
There are over 23,000 railway crossings in Canada. What are the odds of you driving safely through one of them? Studies have indicated that over 400 car/train accidents occur every year in Canada. In addition, half of all these accidents end in death. Are you willing to play these odds?
The total time it takes between the flashing light turning red and the train passing by is literally minutes. Why would anyone want to risk their life for a few minutes of their time?
In addition, the engineer sounds the train’s whistle to let drivers know the train is approaching, yet some drivers think they can beat the train. The problem is there may be another one approaching after the first one.
Here is a statistic which illustrates just how dangerous crossing railways can be: A freight train traveling at 90 km/h would need at least 1.6 km in order to stop. Hitting you at 20 km/h is instant death.
There are those who love to live dangerously, especially the young, and one of the things they try to do is to see if they drive over the tracks before the train arrives. Have they thought about what would happen if their car stalled on the tracks? What if one of their tires blew out? What then? Would they have enough time to exit the car? A life is worth more than proving a point.
The next time you come across that flashing red light, turn off the engine of your car and just relax. If you have children who drive, instruct them not to try beating a train by crossing a railroad track. In addition, since there have been so many fatalities it would be a good idea to ensure that you are well covered by insurance. It may also be a good idea to go to: http://www.insurance-rates.ca/autoquote.html to determine if all drivers in your family are well insured.
With all of the car accidents due to drunk driving, driving while impaired, or driving while fatigued – driving through railway crossings will actually be the last thing you or someone you love will ever do – literally.
Get your auto insurance quote now.
