"Whilst deaths and injuries are thankfully few, these actions by those who are either impatient or ignorant of the law cause great cost, delay and disruption to both rail and road passengers across Britain, " Mr Langman added.

BBC: Warnings over level crossing 'madness' in Wales

Lower courts have used this ruling to uphold convictions, even in death-penalty cases, in which the defence lawyer was drunk, asleep during the trial or completely ignorant of the relevant law.

ECONOMIST: The criminal law