Senior opens level crossing: excitement in Seligenstadt!

Senior opens level crossing: excitement in Seligenstadt!

On April 5, 2025, a dangerous incident occurred in Seligenstadt, in the Offenbach district, at a level crossing that freshly referred to a block for construction work. An 81-year-old woman decided to open the barrier by hand and drive over the tracks with her Ford Fiesta. Despite the clear warning notices that characterized the level crossing as fully blocked, the senior citizen ignored the obviousness of the dangers.

The woman may have been followed by another driver who also crossed the tracks. Passers -by who observed the risky step of the elderly woman tried to dissuade her from her project, but her warnings did not fruit. The failure of recognizing the dangers of a blocked level crossing can not only have legal consequences for the drivers, but also represents a hazard for all road users. The police from Seligenstadt have called for citizens to give information about this incident and to contact us on 06182/89 300 to hear possible witnesses.

The security situation at level crossings

In Germany, accidents at level crossings are relatively rare compared to other traffic accidents, but often serious. According to the German traffic safety council In 2016 there were a total of 995 accidents on rail-like level crossings that led to 46 deaths and 1,367 injured. 30 to 40 percent of all accidents with personal damage to rail traffic occurred at level crossings and about 30 percent of which were done in technically unsecured systems.

level crossings are marked with a St. Andrew's cross and your security is regulated by various technical regulations such as the railway construction and operating regulations (EBO). Fuses may be available in different forms that vary depending on the danger criteria and traffic. The most common fuses used are:

• not technical security (Andreaskreuz and visual contacts for the railway line)
• flashing light with or without a half -barrier
• full barriers

The choice of the type of security should always take into account a risk assessment to ensure the greatest possible safety for road traffic.

Current measures to improve security

The city Seligenstadt plans to improve security at level crossings in the near future, including the initiative for the technical securing of unsettled rail crossings. This step should not only avoid accidents in the sense of general traffic safety, but also to enforce the information about the dangers by campaigns such as "safe".

The incidents such as the recently documented in Seligenstadt show how important these measures are in order to sharpen the awareness of the dangers of level crossings and take suitable measures in good time.