Most studies of highway-rail grade crossing collisions have looked at specific classes of warning devices, e.g., gates. Some limited work on crossings with passive warnings is available. This study, using Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, examines ten years of collisions nationally at public crossings with the four primary crossing warning systems: crossbucks only, stop signs, flashing lights, and gates. It examines and compares collisions and collision rates. Overall, crashes and fatalities and highway-rail crossings have been decreasing while number of crossings, vehicles, and train movements has been increasing. The number of public highway-rail crossings, number of collisions, and percent of collisions resulting in a fatality are not well correlated. Some important characteristics of collisions are: a train striking a vehicle is more likely to cause a fatality, males outnumber females by three to one, drivers under the age of 25 are over-represented, drivers older than 65 are more likely to be killedthan for other age groups. Additionally, collisions are more likely in during the day and in clear weather. As timetable speeds increase, driversare less likely to run into a train. The highest collision rates based ontraffic volume occur where stop signs are used. Rates also vary by state. The ranking in rates by device also varies substantially from state to state. Finally, while useful, the databases maintained by the FRA could be improved to be more comprehensive for both research and for determining potentially dangerous crossings.
Samenvatting