The driver of the bus disobeyed traffic rules, overtook other vehicles that were waiting for the train to cross with the calculation that he would have the railway lines before the arrival of the train. But it was a miscalculation as the train hit the back side of the bus and made a lady sitting by the entrance of the bus to fall on the rail track and the train crushed her to death. Railways officers at the railway station at old garage, Osogbo said investigation is on, but the police have arrested the driver, while the damaged bus and the luggage of the deceased were taken to the police station'.The above tragic illustration as reported by the Sun newspaper of last Monday was the unfortunate lot of a young lady said to be a student of the Osun Sate College of Education, Ila Orangun who was crushed to death by a passenger train at a rail line level crossing at Osogbo while returning school after several months at home due to the prolonged strike action by lecturers in Osun state. It is more painful that the young lady had to meet her untimely death just few weeks to Christmas due to no fault of hers but the recklessness and stupidity of a commercial bus driver and negligence on the part of some railway officials. The Osogbo incident definitely was not the first of such sad incidents to happen. There have been many in the recent past, while it is not most unlikely that more will still occur except urgent measures are taken to curb the menace. Elsewhere in Asia, just last July, specifically in Eastern China, 39 people were reportedly killed and 210 others were injured when a train crashed into another one. This is raising fears and concerns over the safety of train commuters and other road users as well as heightens unease on railway safety standards. In the days past, the usual sight when approaching a railway level crossing is to see a flag man in a nearby booth who would, on the approach of a train wave a red flag or a lantern to stop traffic and clear the tracks. A level crossing is the intersection of a road and a railway line and in order to ensure safety in those spots, gates, manually or electrically operated and closable to barricade the road were later introduced. In many countries, Nigeria inclusive, many railway level crossings are left open, uncontrolled without gates, warning bells or lights.Railway level crossings without gates represent a traffic safety concern and many fatal crashes resulting in several loss of lives have occurred in such danger spots over the years. Failure to notice or obey warning signs of an approaching train has also increased, significantly, the risk of collisions between trains and other vehicles at railway level crossings.Crashes at railway level crossings remain a very serious concern as there have been worst cases of crashes involving trains, vehicles and pedestrians in the past. With the near absence of trains in the past, there were no cases of crashes involving trains, but with passengers and haulage trains gradually roaring back to life, safety concerns at railway level crossings have become very real.As for motorists and pedestrians, we should realise that it is a great offence to insist to cross a rail line when the gate is being lowered or when the lights flash signalling the approach of a train. It is dangerous to stop or park or even make a u-turn on a railway level crossing. It is particularly worrisome, that petty traders have made it a habit to display their wares on the railway lines across the country thereby endangering their lives. There is the need for impatient drivers, motorists and pedestrians to have a rethink and show serious concern over the rate of crashes at railway level crossings because the responsibility for road safety at level crossings is in our hands.With the efforts to revive the rail mode of transportation, the safety components of trains must not be left out, while railway level crossings should not be left opened but should be properly manned and gated by the appropriate railway authorities.
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