It called on the government to do more to curtail dangerous driving at crossings such as dodging barriers and running red lights.

"Motorists are too often playing Russian roulette with a 200 tonne train," said Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher.

"I'm confident that lives will be saved if motorists learn how to safely use level crossings from the day they pass their test," he added.

Around 95 percent of incidents at level crossings are down to motorist or pedestrian misuse or error, the rail operator says.

Last year, 145 motorists, almost three a week, diced with death and avoided a potentially fatal collision with a train at level crossings, according to its figures.

British Transport Police supported the initiative.

"Level crossing incidents are almost wholly avoidable and changing driver and pedestrian behaviour has to be a major part of the long term solution," said Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther.

"The Network Rail proposal calling for specific level crossing knowledge at the point of driver testing is clearly aimed at achieving that change." (Reporting by Valle Aviles Pinedo; Editing by Steve Addison)