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Hero in distress: Train driver prevents crash with reckless driver!
A driver disregards a red stop signal at the level crossing in Gensingen, Mainz-Bingen district. The train driver prevents an accident.
Hero in distress: Train driver prevents crash with reckless driver!
In Gensingen, in the Mainz-Bingen district, a dramatic incident on Monday almost led to a serious accident. An 84-year-old driver ignored a red stop signal and the closing railway barriers and wanted to drive over the railway crossing. Fortunately, the driver of the approaching train was able to apply emergency braking in time to prevent a collision. The vehicle passed just a few meters in front of the passing train, which made the situation extremely dangerous. However, the driver hit the half-barrier before simply driving on without stopping. Witnesses noted the license plate number and the police launched an investigation into charges of endangering rail traffic and leaving the scene of the accident without permission.
As [tv-mittelrhein.de](https://www.tv-mittelrhein.de/mediathek/news/24980/Lokfuehrer_verhindert_mit_Not Bremsung_Zusammenstoss_mit_Auto.html) reports, this incident occurred at a level crossing, which is now temporarily closed because the barrier needs to be repaired. Luckily there were no injuries in this incident, which is a small ray of hope considering the dangers at level crossings. Deutsche Bahn has dealt intensively with safety at level crossings, particularly after a fatal accident in Hamburg that occurred at the end of February 2025.
A growing risk
Unfortunately, accidents at railway crossings are not uncommon in Germany. According to current information, such as n-tv.de and [rnd.de]. In 2023, 154 accidents at level crossings were registered nationwide. This shows that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed urgently.
Deutsche Bahn is therefore planning to further reduce the number of level crossings. A significant decrease has already been recorded in recent decades, from 28,000 level crossings in the 1990s to 15,820 in 2023. These measures are intended to help significantly reduce the number of accidents.
The human factor
Over 95% of collisions between cars and trains are due to human error - be it inattention, carelessness or simply ignorance of the rules at level crossings. Deutsche Bahn has therefore launched the “Safer Over It” educational campaign to raise awareness of the dangers. Structural measures, such as the expansion of overpasses and underpasses instead of level crossings, should also contribute to improving safety.
In view of this collected data and incidents, it is to be hoped that dangerous actions like those of the 84-year-old driver in Gensingen will soon be a thing of the past. Safety should be the top priority for all road users to prevent tragic accidents.