Despite the disparity between day and night accident rates at railway crossings and the obvious limitations of the visual system in darkness, researchers have not formally or systematically compared day and night driving at railway crossings. To address this oversight, a field study was undertaken to compare motorist approach behaviour between day and night-time conditions. Day and night observation periods were made within the same site and in close temporal proximity to minimie confounding and any migration of motorist characteristics. Results showed that motorists approached the crossing more slowly at night and brake less. Various safety interventions are discussed to address the issue of night-time crossing accidents.