The parents of a teen killed when he was hit by a train when he was wearing headphones are making a desperate plea for people to look up from their device.
Last week, Newshub reported on the rise of so-called 'Smartphone Zombies' - and on Monday, Kiwirail revealed an increasing number of pedestrians are coming within seconds of being hit by trains.
Those close calls are allegedly caused by people being distracted by their devices, and thus totally unaware of their surroundings.
When 16-year-old Keenan Matthes crossed the tracks at Ranui Station in west Auckland last year, he had his headphones plugged in.
He was distracted and didn't stand a chance against the oncoming train.
The keen rugby player was out for a run and failed to hear the train coming.
His mother Karamea Matthes says it's been "very hard" without him.
"[He was] one of those souls that you just get drawn to - beautiful kid."
Just last week, another young person was killed by a train just along the tracks from Ranui Station.
Keenan's mother is calling for funding to educate young people, and teach them how important it is to unplug from their devices and look up.
"Using technology every day is their norm, and they won't know what to do without it because they're always connected. So we need to bring an awareness to them to say when you're out and about in potentially dangerous areas, put it away."
While incidents involving cars and trains are decreasing, near misses with pedestrians are on the rise.
In the 12 months to June 2018, there were 71 near misses reported with pedestrians at level crossings across New Zealand.
That compares to just 17 near misses in the same time frame five years ago.
Kiwirail chief executive Peter Reidy says it's everyone's responsibility to reduce those numbers.
"It's everyone's responsibility... it's not just Kiwirail, it's not just Auckland Transport, it's not TransDev or NZ Police - it's everyone's responsibility. Share the news, look up and ask people to look left look right."
Where Keenan was killed, an automatic swing gate has now been installed and Kiwirail has plans to install them in all high-risk spots.
The Matthes' message to everyone - not just kids and teenagers - is keep an ear out when you're out and about because the worst can happen in a split-second.
Newshub.
