The train is the safest means of transport in Austria. Yet every year many people have accidents on the railways due to ignorance and carelessness. krone.tv reporter Sarah Jahn has summarized the rules that must be observed on railway systems so that dangerous situations do not arise in the first place and the consequences of reckless action.
The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) registers serious and sometimes fatal accidents every year. However, these accidents could have easily been prevented if careful and appropriate behavior had been applied. That is why ÖBB is launching a safety campaign to point out correct behavior on railway systems.
“Unfortunately, human error is the most common cause of accidents,” said Christian Schimanofsky, director of the Board of Trustees for Traffic Safety (KFV), which summarizes accidents on rail systems. “The mistakes that are very easy to make are forgetting to look, listen and check the crossing in both directions.”
Victims suffer all their lives
A trend that has unfortunately become increasingly apparent in recent years is boarding parked trains. However, the proximity of overhead power lines is life-threatening. Patients admitted to hospital with such injuries not only suffer from scars for the rest of their lives. Amputation of limbs is also unavoidable in many cases. In addition to the physical consequences of such accidents, the psychological consequences should not be underestimated.
There is often a misconception that direct contact with the cables is enough to seriously injure yourself. But the mere proximity of such cables can lead to devastating consequences due to arcing, as senior doctor Viktoria König from the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Vienna General Hospital experiences in her daily work: “It is very important for me to pointing out that proximity to the arc is life-threatening.” In the video above you can see what the lives of the victims are like after such an accident.
Be careful at railway crossings
While a car at 100 km/h has a braking distance of almost 90 meters before coming to a stop, a train requires considerably more space – easily up to 1500 meters. When crossing a level crossing, this is often not taken into account, even though the barriers are down. If your car is stuck on a train track, do not check how far the train is and leave all valuables in the car.
What else you need to take into account and how to behave correctly at level crossings, you can see in the video above and on the ÖBB website.
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Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
