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WE ALL KNOW that today is the anniversary of D-Day, but it’s also International Level Crossing Awareness Day.

According to the website, the day is “a worldwide event to raise public awareness about the dangers at level crossings”.

This year’s event is being held in Amersfoort, Netherlands and Irish Rail is among the national rail networks taking part. 

As part of its support of the event, Irish Rail has released a video showing some of the dangerous practices at Irish level crossings. 

In one of the clips recorded only two weeks ago, a truck is shown striking one of the gates at Sydney Parade in Dublin. 

A second night-time clip shows a black car ploughing through both sides of a crossing.

Another day-time video from Porterstown shows two young boys running under a barrier that’s being lowered before trying to vault over the barrier on the other side. One of the boys trips onto the ground.

Irish Rail has said that the awareness campaign seeks to ensure that people stop at the level crossing when the lights begin to flash, not just when the barriers are down.

“For your safety and that of others,” Irish Rail says in a tweet directed at “motorists, pedestrians and cyclists”.

Aside from safety issues, damage to level crossings can also cause traffic delays as has been observed previously.