KiwiRail shares horrifying footage of people's near-misses with trains

Earlier this month, KiwiRail took to social media to share horrifying footage of Kiwi's near-misses with trains.

But the scariest part is that the video only shows just a few of the 300 incidents which happened in New Zealand last year.

"These close calls are happening daily and they take a huge toll on our locomotive engineers and everyone involved," KiwiRail Group chief executive Greg Miller said.

"In a lot of cases, people are missing death or serious injury by seconds. It is often just luck that they are not killed."

"Although no one gets physically hurt in a near miss, the driver, other rail staff, witnesses and of course the pedestrian or motorist all experience a level of trauma," Mr Miller continued. 

Rail safety advice:

• Cross with care – trains can arrive at any time from either direction.
• If you’re driving, obey the warning signs and look carefully in both directions for trains.
• Listen, be aware and pay careful attention to your surrounds.
• Trains can approach faster than you think and can be quiet. They are heavy and cannot stop quickly.
• Always ensure there is space on the other side of the crossing for your vehicle.
• If you’re on foot, only cross at a formed level crossing or an overpass or underpass
• Remove your headphones, stop and always look both ways for trains before crossing the tracks.
• Only cross if you are sure there are no trains in sight.
• Obey the warning signs at the crossing – if lights are flashing or bells are ringing this means a train is approaching.
• If a train has passed or is stopped at the station, always check both ways again to make sure another train is not coming. Two tracks may mean there is a second train.