The shift away from the use of a single mode of transportation for a shipment in favour of an intermodal approach is an important trend in contemporary freight transportation. One interesting aspect of the shift of truck traffic to railroad intermodal service is the corresponding impact on highway safety. Every highway trailer shifted to intermodal service represents a change in combination truck traffic patterns on the highway system, as do intermodal services which capture new business before it ever reaches the highway system. The goal of this study was to identify potential implications of intermodal transportation on highway safety. The research specifically attempts to quantify the effect of rail-highway intermodalism on truck vehicle-miles of travel and to assess the resulting effects on highway accidents. Impacts are calculated for the years 1992-1993 and, to aid policy decisions, for the year 2010.
Abstract