KiwiRail has released hard-to-watch CCTV footage of near-misses at level crossings as a reminder to people to stay alert near train tracks.
As part of Rail Safety Week, the footage given to Newshub shows four near-collisions from the past year, including a man on a bike making a daring attempt to beat the train and only just scraping past in time.
He only seems to realise the train is about to hit him as he's half way across the track when he gets up a bit more speed.
Other clips show pedestrians stepping out to cross the tracks seemingly oblivious to the train speeding by before quickly taking steps back to avoid being hit.
TrackSAFE manager Megan Drayton says there could be a number of reasons people don't see trains coming at level crossings.
"People forget that when they approach a crossing they're taking a risk. They get used to signage and become overly familiar with the area. Complacency and distractions like cellphones and headphones mean that people often don't consciously check for trains."
KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy says people need to put away their phones and electronic devices any time they're around the rail network.
It's a very real concern for the company and train drivers, with 900 collisions or near-collisions with people and vehicles at level crossings between 2010 and 2015.
Mr Reidy says this year's campaign has been developed following an increasing trend of incidents involving pedestrians, particularly at urban level crossings.
Newshub.
