The driver of a car hit by the Spirit of Queensland tilt train at a Rockhampton level crossing last year failed to come to a complete stop and didn’t see the oncoming train, prior to driving in front of it, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has said.
The 21km/h collision, which occurred just prior to 1am on July 15, 2017, put three of the car’s passengers in hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, and resulted in severe damage to the vehicle, but only minor damage to the train itself.
Queensland Rail has said its road-rail interface manager will conduct a review of the site of the collision, the level crossing at the intersection of Denison and Williams Streets, Rockhampton.
According to the ATSB’s final incident report, published this week, the driver of the white Toyota Camry slowed, but failed to come to a complete stop, while approaching the level crossing – a passive crossing controlled by stop signs.
The train’s incident recorder showed it was going below the speed limit, the driver had used the train’s horn while approaching the intersection, and the train’s headlight was on.
However, the report states, “According to the [car’s] driver, the vehicle’s windows were open at the time of the incident. Its occupants were actively engaged in conversation and none of them heard the train’s horn.”
The car driver told investigators he “slowed almost to a stop as it approached the intersection before accelerating to cross it”.
“Neither the driver nor the passengers noticed the train until immediately before the collision.”
None of the drivers involved in the incident – including the car’s driver, and the two train drivers – tested positive for any illicit drugs, and none were above their respective alcohol limits, according to the ATSB.
The Bureau’s main message in the incident report was how this incident highlights the different risks of various types of road-rail level crossings.
“There are more than 6,000 passive level crossings in Australia,” the Bureau wrote. “This type of protection is generally used where the volume of road and rail traffic makes the risk of a collision relatively low.
“Stop sign traffic control is used at level crossings where the sighting distance is such that a motorist is unable to see an approaching train in time to stop before its arrival at the crossing.
“This traffic control method requires a motorist to stop at the crossing, visually look in both directions and, if no train is seen or heard, then safely proceed.
“Motorists are required to have this knowledge for a driver’s license and drivers encounter Stop signs routinely and follow the same process of stop, check, and wait/go. Despite that requirement, there have been many accidents at Stop sign-protected crossings because of the motorist’s failure to stop.”