Locals are noticing a distinct police presence in Condobolin with over six highway patrol cars coming to town to raise awareness at level crossings and penalise reckless behaviour.

The campaign is running from 2-13 March, with police patrolling the four level crossing in the town - Jones Lane, May Street, Melrose Road and Kiacatoo Road.

Despite the electronic signboards advertising the campaign and penalties, people are still being caught disregarding the rules and being issued with three demerit points and a $562 fine.

"Around seven trains a day travel at high speed through Condobolin, a crash between one of them and a vehicle could result in life changing consequences, not just for those in the vehicle and the driver of the train, but also for so many other people - emergency services who have to attend, family and friends who might lose a loved one and the community at large," said Luke Wilby, Senior Manager of Public Transport Safety Programs at Transport for NSW, which is working with police on the campaign.

“Just because you don’t see a train at a level crossing, it doesn’t mean it won’t be at the level crossing in a few seconds."

While there hasn't been a serious derailment in the area for some time, the local SES is supportive of the initiative.

"In the past we have had some serious level crossing accidents, with people losing lives and sustaining life changing injuries," says Inspector Susan Bennett, SES unit commander at Condobolin.

"This is a reminder to everyone not to be complacent. We don't want to go out on those calls again."

The most recent level crossing accident happened there 18 months ago, when a semi-trailer lost its tailgate, but there have been many close calls with vehicles trying to race the trains.

"Our highest priority is making sure everyone makes it home safely - I'm reminding everyone If your route includes a level crossing, factor in a few extra minutes and be patient. Trains cannot stop quickly, and some can take more than 1.4 kilometres to come to a complete halt," said NSW Police Traffic Inspector Ben Macfarlane.

"Even if the driver sees you, they can’t stop in time to avoid a collision. A split-second decision to rush through could have life-changing consequences, so take the extra time, and make safety your priority.”

Since July 2015 nine people died and 10 were seriously injured as a result of 73 collisions between trains and road vehicles at level crossings in NSW.