Shropshire Star

Van driver seconds from disaster on Shropshire level crossing

Seconds from disaster, this is the moment a white van driver forced a train to make an emergency stop on a level crossing in Shropshire.

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Blind bend – Steven Austin drove on the wrong side of the road as he approached the Shropshire level crossing, which has no barriers

The dramatic pictures were released as 43-year-old Steven Austin was banned from the road for dangerous driving that put him and a train full of passengers in peril.

The Mercedes Sprinter van and the Arriva train finished just feet apart at the crossing near Bucknell station in March this year.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court, Austin was banned from driving for a year and made subject to a community order that includes a six-month, electronically tagged overnight curfew.

Emergency – train driver Robert Teare described having to brake suddenly as he feared his train was going to strike the Mercedes van

Recorder Nicholas Daly told Austin it was difficult to understand why he failed to see warning lights at the level crossing.

"You were aware of the blind bend before the crossing, but drove on the opposite side of the road. This was dangerous in itself, apart from what happened at the crossing," he said.

The court heard that Austin, from Derby, was facing bankruptcy proceedings and was unable to pay any fine, and ill health prevented him doing unpaid work. He had denied a charge of dangerous driving.

Near miss – the van drives over the railway line, just feet from the train that had managed to come to a stop, preventing a serious accident

The court heard Austin, a delivery driver for a furniture company, was travelling from Craven Arms towards Bucknell just before 6am on March 26.

CCTV footage at the crossing was played to the jury and showed Austin's van coming around the bend on the wrong side of the road and stopping close to the rail track, forcing the train to pull up sharply.

Train driver Robert Teare said he saw the van approaching to his right and made an emergency stop to avoid a possible collision.

Mr Teare told Shrewsbury Crown Court he was driving the Arriva Trains' service from Shrewsbury to Cardiff – a route he had operated on for nine years and knew well.

He said he had slowed down as he approached the crossing and nearby Bucknell station and the warning lights on the level crossing were working and he could see them flashing.

Mr Teare said he saw the van approaching to his right and made an emergency stop to avoid a possible collision.

"I realised the van was on the crossing and sounded the train's horn," he said. "After it stopped the van was reversed back slightly and then drove across in front of the train. I did not indicate for the van driver to do that."

It is the latest in a series of crashes or near-misses at level crossings in Shropshire and Mid Wales and British Transport Police has issued a warning about the dangers of ignoring warning lights or barriers.

A train carrying 140 passengers crashed into a tractor and trailer at a farm crossing close to Buttington Hall in Buttington, just north of Welshpool, in July last year.

The tractor driver and two passengers nearby suffered minor injuries in the collision, which caused significant damage to the front of the train.

The Arriva Trains Wales service was travelling from Birmingham International station to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales.

Police and emergency workers on scene after a train crashed into a tractor and trailer in Buttington last July

And there have been 25 cases of dangerous driving recorded at Wem level crossing over the past three years, according to British Transport Police

The force has dealt with 16 instances of drivers failing to obey road signs and nine instances of careless driving at the crossing over the Shrewsbury to Manchester line in Wem.

Officers have also responded to 14 further non-motoring offences involving the crossing at the junction of Soulton Road and Aston Street.

They have included reports of trespassing and an assault.

It is not known how many prosecutions have been pursued following the reports. But the figures, which cover a period from April 2011 until September this year, have prompted fresh calls for more safety measures to be brought in, including a footbridge across the line.

The crossing was named the sixth most dangerous in the country by Network Rail five years ago

Footage has previously been released of cars trying to drive under the gates as they were coming down.

The level crossing in Wem was visited by officers during British Transport Police's Operation Look, which saw more than 300 crossings observed in the space of a week at the start of October.

During the week, 38 motorists were sent notices of impending prosecution for misuse of level crossings.

Many more drivers were warned about their behaviour with officers, volunteers and colleagues from Network Rail handing out thousands of leaflets on safe crossing use.

Inspector David Davies, of British Transport Police Shrewsbury, said: "Misusing level crossings is a serious offence and one that will not be tolerated by British Transport Police. Drivers who ignore the warning lights and barriers don't just risk their own lives, they also endanger other road users and those on board trains."

Inspector Davies added: "We regularly visit crossings across Shropshire to educate drivers, cyclists and pedestrians about the dangers of trying to save time by ignoring the warnings at crossings. Our aim is to change behaviour and improve safety for all road users."

Anybody who witnesses a vehicle, cyclist or pedestrian misusing a level crossing should report it to British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016. In an emergency dial 999.

Police say they will continue to monitor safety at crossings, with another week of action planned for February 2015.

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