abc.net.au/news/2023-12-31/ … /103275502
He’ll be in a spot of bother. I hope his insurance is up to date, that bill is going to be a bit more than ashtray change.
I wonder if much hoo ha will be made of the truck drivers age being a contributory factor.
It really is quite daft truck drivers of a certain age can just keep on driving over here after a simple exercise declaring yourself fit to carry on.
Reactions slow down and so does spacial awareness.
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He’s now been charged with dangerous driving causing death. The Barrier Highway remains closed, as obviously does the only train link between Sydney Adelaide and Perth.
I doubt his age was a contributing factor. He’s probably gone over the crossing hundreds of times and never seen a train.
Star down under.:
He’s now been charged with dangerous driving causing death. The Barrier Highway remains closed, as obviously does the only train link between Sydney Adelaide and Perth.
I doubt his age was a contributing factor. He’s probably gone over the crossing hundreds of times and never seen a train.
Do you not have to get permission to cross a level crossing from a signal operator with road trains over there?
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simcor:
I wonder if much hoo ha will be made of the truck drivers age being a contributory factor.It really is quite daft truck drivers of a certain age can just keep on driving over here after a simple exercise declaring yourself fit to carry on.
Reactions slow down and so does spacial awareness.
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You might be able to speak for yourself on that subject, but you certainly ain’t speaking for me. I’m 76 and although my HC licence was taken because of a head injury, I still have good reactions and spacial awareness, as do plenty of other older drivers. I reckon that a lot of these ‘older’ drivers that have collisions, probably could never drive. I’ve seen plenty of younger drivers that couldn’t drive a nail through a bar of soap.
peterm:
simcor:
I wonder if much hoo ha will be made of the truck drivers age being a contributory factor.It really is quite daft truck drivers of a certain age can just keep on driving over here after a simple exercise declaring yourself fit to carry on.
Reactions slow down and so does spacial awareness.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
You might be able to speak for yourself on that subject, but you certainly ain’t speaking for me. I’m 76 and although my HC licence was taken because of a head injury, I still have good reactions and spacial awareness, as do plenty of other older drivers. I reckon that a lot of these ‘older’ drivers that have collisions, probably could never drive. I’ve seen plenty of younger drivers that couldn’t drive a nail through a bar of soap.
It is a fact, generally people have much slower reactions/less spacial awareness when they get old. Not everyone is the same that is true but it’s part of life and getting old it does happen. More than people care to admit.
Drivers rarely admit they are too old to be driving a car anymore let alone a HGV.
I hope when the time comes I can make that decision for myself and someone else doesn’t have to make it for me.
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simcor:
Star down under.:
He’s now been charged with dangerous driving causing death. The Barrier Highway remains closed, as obviously does the only train link between Sydney Adelaide and Perth.
I doubt his age was a contributing factor. He’s probably gone over the crossing hundreds of times and never seen a train.Do you not have to get permission to cross a level crossing from a signal operator with road trains over there?
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
No, dependent upon traffic, both rail and road, some crossings have lights and gates, lights only or only STOP signs. I’m assuming this particular location had only a stop sign.
Although I’ve traveled the Barrier Highway many times, I didn’t know where Bindarrah was. It’s actually only a district between the villages of Cockburn and Olary, there is no township or village. The area is flat with almost no vegetation and little to obscure vision.
I don’t recall a level crossing on the highway. The train line runs parellel with the highway for miles and I suspect he was leaving the highway to enter a minor road or track. The train was probably behind him, travelling in the same direction, when he has turned left.
If his focus was on locating the road he needed, he could have forgotten about the train he had overtaken.
As with all collisions and incidents, multiple factors have to align. In this case, I suggest the prime causation would be distraction/inattention and failure to stop at the stop sign. Also possible at this time of year,he could be a relief driver with no recent experience. His age has been variously reported as 70 and 77, but I doubt that was a significant contributing factor.
The poor bloke didn’t set out to crash into a train, there but by the grace of >insert your favorite deity here< goes any one of us. He’s got to live with the fact that his actions have killed two people and cost millions of dollars damage.
This is pure speculation on my behalf, he may have been a total ■■■■ who lost a race with a train.
peterm:
simcor:
I wonder if much hoo ha will be made of the truck drivers age being a contributory factor.It really is quite daft truck drivers of a certain age can just keep on driving over here after a simple exercise declaring yourself fit to carry on.
Reactions slow down and so does spacial awareness.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
You might be able to speak for yourself on that subject, but you certainly ain’t speaking for me. I’m 76 and although my HC licence was taken because of a head injury, I still have good reactions and spacial awareness, as do plenty of other older drivers. I reckon that a lot of these ‘older’ drivers that have collisions, probably could never drive. I’ve seen plenty of younger drivers that couldn’t drive a nail through a bar of soap.
I’ve never had any of them, ever, I’ve survived thus far. 
Star down under.:
simcor:
Star down under.:
He’s now been charged with dangerous driving causing death. The Barrier Highway remains closed, as obviously does the only train link between Sydney Adelaide and Perth.
I doubt his age was a contributing factor. He’s probably gone over the crossing hundreds of times and never seen a train.Do you not have to get permission to cross a level crossing from a signal operator with road trains over there?
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
No, dependent upon traffic, both rail and road, some crossings have lights and gates, lights only or only STOP signs. I’m assuming this particular location had only a stop sign.
Although I’ve traveled the Barrier Highway many times, I didn’t know where Bindarrah was. It’s actually only a district between the villages of Cockburn and Olary, there is no township or village. The area is flat with almost no vegetation and little to obscure vision.
I don’t recall a level crossing on the highway. The train line runs parellel with the highway for miles and I suspect he was leaving the highway to enter a minor road or track. The train was probably behind him, travelling in the same direction, when he has turned left.
If his focus was on locating the road he needed, he could have forgotten about the train he had overtaken.
As with all collisions and incidents, multiple factors have to align. In this case, I suggest the prime causation would be distraction/inattention and failure to stop at the stop sign. Also possible at this time of year,he could be a relief driver with no recent experience. His age has been variously reported as 70 and 77, but I doubt that was a significant contributing factor.
The poor bloke didn’t set out to crash into a train, there but by the grace of >insert your favorite deity here< goes any one of us. He’s got to live with the fact that his actions have killed two people and cost millions of dollars damage.
This is pure speculation on my behalf, he may have been a total ■■■■ who lost a race with a train.
Google shows this level crossing where the highway crosses the rail track.google.com/maps/@-32.170004 … ?entry=ttu
Guessing this is the place.
An awful accident, and awful loss of life.
Re the age of the driver:
Age does slow down reactions. That is a fact.
I doubt that having reaction times made any difference here. It doesnt seem to be a case of failing to react to a sudden, unforeseen event. We dont have a kid running from between parked cars into the street. We have a huge train with double stacked boxes running along a flat scrubland.
It has been shown in many studies that young men are more likely to take risks than females, and older men:
A gung-ho 20-something is more likely to race a train across the crossing than an older hand.
All the above is only general case stuff. There are of course, safer young men, and dangerous old ■■■■■.
Edit to add.
“The freight train with the two drivers aged 48 and 57 was heading west at the time of the crash, while the truck carrying avocados was heading east towards Broken Hill.”
google.com/maps/@-32.170174 … ?entry=ttu
LATEST UPDATE
The transport company involved was Blenners, a company not known for empathy toward its drivers, or respect of legislation.
In consequence, they do not attract the cream of the crop.
Read into that what you will.
Franglais:
Star down under.:
simcor:
Star down under.:
He’s now been charged with dangerous driving causing death. The Barrier Highway remains closed, as obviously does the only train link between Sydney Adelaide and Perth.
I doubt his age was a contributing factor. He’s probably gone over the crossing hundreds of times and never seen a train.Do you not have to get permission to cross a level crossing from a signal operator with road trains over there?
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
No, dependent upon traffic, both rail and road, some crossings have lights and gates, lights only or only STOP signs. I’m assuming this particular location had only a stop sign.
Although I’ve traveled the Barrier Highway many times, I didn’t know where Bindarrah was. It’s actually only a district between the villages of Cockburn and Olary, there is no township or village. The area is flat with almost no vegetation and little to obscure vision.
I don’t recall a level crossing on the highway. The train line runs parellel with the highway for miles and I suspect he was leaving the highway to enter a minor road or track. The train was probably behind him, travelling in the same direction, when he has turned left.
If his focus was on locating the road he needed, he could have forgotten about the train he had overtaken.
As with all collisions and incidents, multiple factors have to align. In this case, I suggest the prime causation would be distraction/inattention and failure to stop at the stop sign. Also possible at this time of year,he could be a relief driver with no recent experience. His age has been variously reported as 70 and 77, but I doubt that was a significant contributing factor.
The poor bloke didn’t set out to crash into a train, there but by the grace of >insert your favorite deity here< goes any one of us. He’s got to live with the fact that his actions have killed two people and cost millions of dollars damage.
This is pure speculation on my behalf, he may have been a total ■■■■ who lost a race with a train.Google shows this level crossing where the highway crosses the rail track.google.com/maps/@-32.170004 … ?entry=ttu
Guessing this is the place.An awful accident, and awful loss of life.
Re the age of the driver:
Age does slow down reactions. That is a fact.
I doubt that having reaction times made any difference here. It doesnt seem to be a case of failing to react to a sudden, unforeseen event. We dont have a kid running from between parked cars into the street. We have a huge train with double stacked boxes running along a flat scrubland.
It has been shown in many studies that young men are more likely to take risks than females, and older men:
A gung-ho 20-something is more likely to race a train across the crossing than an older hand.
All the above is only general case stuff. There are of course, safer young men, and dangerous old ■■■■■.Edit to add.
“The freight train with the two drivers aged 48 and 57 was heading west at the time of the crash, while the truck carrying avocados was heading east towards Broken Hill.”
google.com/maps/@-32.170174 … ?entry=ttu
Well that blows my speculation out of the water. I still can’t place the level crossing.
See my previous post, it explains a lot.
Star down under.:
Well that blows my speculation out of the water. I still can’t place the level crossing.
See my previous post, it explains a lot.
But, as you correctly remembered flat open scrub.
If it was a nasty blind crossing it would have been memorable.
SDU. I know Blenners and have spoken to some of their drivers at the port of Brisbane. A mate worked for them, but not for long. Now I know why.
As for that crossing: how the ■■■■ could you not see a train coming along there (if that’s the right one) from a mile off.
peterm:
SDU. I know Blenners and have spoken to some of their drivers at the port of Brisbane. A mate worked for them, but not for long. Now I know why.As for that crossing: how the [zb] could you not see a train coming along there (if that’s the right one) from a mile off.
They won’t pay drivers until the truck is routed back to the depot the driver is based from. That’s not a problem for the round town clowns, but it does create issues if the interstaters are not routed through their home depots for weeks or months. Too many drivers were abandoning the trucks because theywere never getting home.
I can’t understand why I don’t recall the level crossing, I recall the big bridge over the line, west of Cockburn. I’ve used that road dozens of times.
This awful accident in some ways is no different to piling into the back of stationary traffic on a motorway - and there are plenty of under 65’s shown themselves quite capable of such.
So, no I don’t think that age was a primary factor as has been suggested.
As an older driver, personally I will be very aware when it’s time to pack it in.
Socketset:
So, no I don’t think that age was a primary factor as has been suggested.
Too early and too little info to make that call in either direction.
Socketset:
As an older driver, personally I will be very aware when it’s time to pack it in.
Not age related, but generally we are all the worst judges of ourselves and our own abilities.
And, Im sure Im correct about that
