Tragic accidents: Six -year -olds succumb to unhappy level crossings

Tragic accidents: Six -year -olds succumb to unhappy level crossings

The boy was immediately flown to the Linz University Hospital with a rescue helicopter, but later succumbed to his serious injuries. The relatives and the train drivers suffered a heavy shock in this incident and were looked after by a crisis intervention team.

dangerous level crossings in Bavaria

The second accident, which is tragically connected to the first, also occurred in similar circumstances. A six -year -old boy from an Afghan family drove his bike to an unrestricted level crossing, while his mother and eight -year -old brother followed on foot. In this incident, despite an emergency braking, the child was caught head -on from the railcar and dragged several meters. Unfortunately the boy died at the scene of the accident, right in front of the eyes of his shaken family.

The fatal accidents also make a highlight of the problem of unlimited level crossings, which, according to experts, pose an unnecessary danger. In Bavaria alone there are around 3,000 level crossings, half of which are unlimited. In 2023, 46 accidents at level crossings were registered there, as reported by the BR . Dealing with these potentially dangerous areas is therefore not just a local, but a social problem that urgently needs to be addressed.

criticism of security

experts, such as Edonisa Murati and her team, criticize the inadequate security in untrained transitions. They emphasize that sound and light signals are not sufficient to adequately warn drivers or cyclists. There is an alert interest in increasing the safety of the level crossings, even if legal requirements are implemented differently. According to a federal law, the “Railway Crossing Act”, level crossings are to be replaced by bridges and tunnels.

Deutsche Bahn points out that level crossings are a joint task between the railway, the federal government and the street owners. Despite significant financial expenses to secure level crossings - around 170 million euros from Deutsche Bahn and an additional 340 million euros from the federal government and road construction load agents annually - it remains a challenge to subject all transitions of sufficient security, which is also due to a long history of accidents. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of level crossings in Germany fell by 21%, but there is still a lack of nationwide security measures.

The situation is alarming, since over 95 percent of the collisions of unsecured transitions are due to inattentiveness or ignorance. Deutsche Bahn has launched programs for clarifying traffic rules at level crossings to sensitize the public for these dangers.

a comprehensive re -evaluation and solution of the challenges of level crossings is necessary. This could prevent the loss of further life and contribute to the safety of today's and future generations.