A stern warning to think about train drivers - before heading over a level crossing

KiwiRail's kicked off its Rail Safety Week, urging people to take extreme care around trains.

Footage has emerged online of a freight train hitting a car at a crossing -- although the driver miraculously survived.

Chief Asset Development Officer, David Gordon, says such collisions take a huge toll on drivers' mental health - no matter the outcome.

He says some drivers have quit because of it, and some have had it happen more than once.