RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3912, 28 February 1929, Page 3

RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

JUDGE’S COMMENT. Hamilton, February 27. Judge Blair, in commenting in the Court to-dya on the fact that three prosecutions related to fatal accidents at railway - level crossings, said it was very difficult to say what could be done to prevent such accidents. -One cure that had been suggested was that there should be elaborate signals, or else that level crossings should be abolished and overbridges or subways provided. Warning signals 'were being provided gradually by the Railway department on main road crossings but there were many hundreds of crossings on side roads. No one would suggest that drivers waited to ha use the death of people. 'The most that could be said -against them was carelessness but the law provided punishment for that, the idea being to impress on the minds of motorists generally the absolute necessity of care. If a view of the approach to a crossing was Obstructed, said the Judge, it was the duty of the motorist to take more care than otherwise. The grand jury passed the following recommendation: “That the Railway department, in the case of flag stations having level crossings, be urged to instruct the porter or other responsible person to flag all trains in and out. of stations from the level crossing, excepting where automatic signals have been installed.”