§ Sir Michael Shawasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have occurred at automatic unmanned rail crossings during each of the last three years.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe number of accidents at automatic unmanned level crossings on all railways in Great Britain during each of the last three years is given in the following table. The figures are taken from the Department of Transport's "Railway Accidents—Report on the Safety Record of the Railways in Great Britain" published annually. Copies of the 1981 and 1982 reports are in the Library and the 1983 report will be published shortly.
A fuller picture of the comparative safety record at automatic level crossings is given by comparing the rate of accidents. This is shown in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton (Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop) on Friday 27 July at column 826.
Number of Accidents at Automatic Unmanned Level Crossings in Great Britain for each of the last Three Years 1981 1982 1983 Automatic half barriers (AHB) 10 4 6 Automatic open crossings locally monitored (AOCL) 2 8 7 Automatic open crossings remotely monitored (AOCR) — — — User-worked crossings with miniature warning lights (MWL)* 3 1 2 * MWL have been included because their lights are operated automatically by the trains although the gates and barriers are worked by the user of the level crossing.