Canberra light rail near misses caught on camera

Drivers were caught on camera driving along the tracks, one hit the side of the tram, and several drivers were caught crossing the tracks, narrowly avoiding a major collision.

Transport Canberra released the video on Tuesday labelling it a "chilling reminder" for motorists to pay attention and look out for the tram.

"Look and listen out for the light rail - because road safety is everyone's responsibility," it said in a tweet.

The video showed several drivers taking the tracks rather than the road and one driver who did a U-turn on the tracks after driving on the wrong side.

Several drivers were caught trying to cross the tracks dashing ahead of the tram and narrowly avoiding a crash.

One motorist was seen hitting the side of the tram.

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The collation of dangerous driving is regularly released by Transport Canberra to remind Canberrans to drive safely.

The last video was released in August, Canberra metro operations general manager Tilo Franz said at the time, safety around the large vehicles was critical.

"Light rail vehicles can travel at up to 70km/h through an intersection and it needs longer to brake because it has steel wheels on a steel track, and it needs a longer distance than a car," he said.

"We're seeing lots of people ignoring red lights and traffic crossings and walking in front of the light rail. We see lots of people not being aware of the situation."

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