Rospa, which introduced Tufty as a character, said TV campaigns had helped "to create a high level of road safety awareness over a long period, and are one of the reasons why Great Britain has been able to significantly reduce the number of people being killed on our roads".

BBC: Children's road safety TV adverts axed in England

But security experts worry that down the road, many Americans may weary of maintaining such a high level of cautiousness.

CNN: SHARE THIS

Network Rail said the level crossing was not deemed as "high risk", as it is on a quiet road with little traffic.

BBC: Level crossing crash: One dead as train hits car