Blowing left, and blowing right - it's a superstition that might just save your life.
KiwiRail and TrackSAFE are promoting the unusual safety message after a big increase in collisions with trains.
Seventeen-year-old Ishaan Prasad is a miracle. One year ago this Friday, he was hit by a freight train in Napier and was not expected to survive.
"I've been through a lot. Trying to take it slow, trying to work myself up slowly and get all my strength back. But I've still got a long way to go," he said.
While Ishaan doesn't remember what happened that day, he's encouraging others during Rail Safety Week to avoid near misses.
"Yeah, just take it slowly because there's no rush," he said.
And to get people to slow down at crossings, KiwiRail and TrackSAFE are encouraging people to try this superstition.
"You just blow left, and then right for safe travels," said TrackSAFE manager Megan Drayton.
It's a playful way to get a serious message across.
"It's certainly unconventional, but we hope that it will have safety benefits. At its heart, it is a tongue-in-cheek way to get people's heads moving left and right to check for trains," Drayton added.
Over the past year, the number of collisions at public level crossings has more than doubled - from 13 to 28. Eight people were killed, taking the total deaths over the past 10 years to 155.
The Transport Minister said with more investment in rail, and moving more freight off roads, the situation could get worse.
"When we look back on those accidents over the past year, more than 60 percent of them at level crossings were at level crossings where there were barrier arms, or where there were other alarms," Michael Woods said.
He's getting on board with the superstition: "First we blow to the left, then we blow to the right."
A simple way to slow down and check each way to avoid a collision or near miss.
