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Railroad Crossing Facts
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RAILROAD CROSSINGS: |
| ARE
PLENTIFUL |
There
are over 209,308 railroad crossings, approximately 129,326
intersect with public roads (FRA as of 7/29/14) |
| ARE
LOCATED |
Railroad
crossings exist in all 49 continental states, with the
leading five states being Texas, Illinois, California,
Kansas and Ohio |
| ARE
DEADLY |
Year
2001: 3,237 accidents resulting in 421 deaths
and more than 1,100 serious injuries
Year 2002: 3,077 accidents resulting in
357 killed and over 999 serious injuries (Far exceeding casualties
in the commercial airline industry in an average year)
Year 2003: 2,928
accidents resulting in 324 deaths and over 998 serious injuries
for a total of 1,322 total casualties
Year 2004: 3,063 accidents resulting in 368
deaths and over 1,081 serious injuries
Year 2005: 3,010 accidents resulting in
355 deaths and over 970 serious injuries
Year 2006: 2,911 accidents resulting in
366 deaths and over 1,005 serious injuries
Year 2007: 2,742 accidents resulting in
339 deaths and over 1,012 serious injures
Year 2008: 2,395 accidents resulting in
287 deaths and over 936 serious injures
Year 2009: 1,896 accidents resulting in
247 deaths and over 706 serious injuries
Year 2010: 2,004 accidents resulting in
261 deaths and over 810 serious injuries
Year 2011: 2,061 accidents resulting in
251 deaths and over 1,032 serious injuries
Year 2012: 1,960 accidents
resulting in 235 deaths and over 913 serious injuries
Year 2013: 2,090 accidents resulting in 249 deaths and approximately
954 serious injries (as of 7/29/14 |
| PRESSURE
MOTORISTS |
Trains
have the right-of-way at crossings. Motorists have to interpret
warning signs, watch for dangerous conditions, determine
if trains are approaching and estimate train speeds |
| CAN
PRESENT UNEXPECTED HAZARDS |
Crossings
may have sight obstructions (steep road approaches, trees,
buildings, etc.) Warning signs may be missing or fallen,
and railroad track may be rough and/or elevated |
| COMMONLY
HAVE CROSSBUCKS |
The
most common informational sign at crossings is the crossbuck—black
letters in an “x” spelling “railroad” and “crossing”.
About 47% of public crossings have crossbucks |
| MOSTLY
DON’T HAVE GATES |
Nationwide,
only 36% of public crossings have gates. Private crossings
often have no safety protection devices |
| ARE
SAFEST WITH GATES |
On
a unit-of-traffic basis, gates are 80-90% more effective
than crossbucks and stop signs |
WHY
RAILROAD-CROSSING ACCIDENTS HAVE DECLINED SINCE 1980
1.
Number of Crossings Down 28%
The number of public railroad crossings has declined from 215,428
in 1980 to 155,370 in 2000. (Source: Federal Railroad Administration,
Highway-Rail Crossing Accident/Incident and Inventory Bulletin,
1980, and Railroad Safety Statistics, 2000.) The United States
Department of Transportation and the railroad industry encourage
closings, and it is not unusual that financial incentives are
provided for such closings. Eliminated crossings may account
for about 28% of the decline in crossing accidents.
2. Number of Gated Crossings Up 111%
In 1980, there were only 16,291 public railroad-crossings equipped
with automated gates and lights, compared with 34,296 such
crossings in 2000. (Source: Same as 1. above.) This 111% increase
in the number of gated crossings could explain at least 50%
of the reduction in railroad-crossing accidents. This is because
gates tend to be installed at the most densely-traveled crossings,
and on a unit-of-traffic basis, numerous studies have shown
gates to be 85-90% more effective than passive devices in saving
lives. (Source: Various studies and Railroad Safety Statistics,
2000.)
3. Railroad Track Roadway Reduced by 32%
The miles of road owned by the freight railroad industry declined
from 178,056 in 1980 to 120,950. (Source: Association of American
Railroads, “Readi-Reference File” and Railroad Ten-Year
Trends). This 32% reduction illustrates the downsizing of railroad
track, including an unknown reduction in track-mileage operated.
Consequently, in a number of instances, parallel track has
been eliminated, resulting in fewer trains blocking railroad
crossings and thus, safer crossings.
4. Shift of Railroad Track from Class I to Short-Line Railroads
Mileage of track roadway owned by Class I railroads (the largest
railroads) declined from 164,822 in 1980 to 88,485 in 2000,
while the mileage owned by the non-Class I railroads increased
from 13,227 to 32,465 during the same period. (Source: Association
of American Railroads, Ten-Year Trends and Profiles of the
Railroad Industry; Interstate Commerce Commission, Statistics
of Railroads in the United States, 1980. Non-Class I railroads
operate about 30% of the nation’s railroad track, but
account for only 12% of the fatalities from railroad-crossing
accidents.
HOW
ACCURATE ARE FEDERAL STATISTICS RELATING TO RAILROAD
GRADE CROSSINGS?
The
United States Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), publishes an annual statistical inventory
of railroad crossings and related accidents. Railroad Safety
Statistics, Annual Report 2000 – available on FRA’s
web-site -- reveals that: Inventory reporting is voluntary
for both states and railroads. There are no legal requirements
which mandate reporting. Furthermore, the “Forward” section
of the FRA report states:
The completeness and accuracy of the information presented
in this bulletin are primarily dependent upon the data collection
and reporting processes of the nation’s railroads. The FRA conducts
routine audits of these procedures, but does not have sufficient
resources to perform comprehensive reviews of each railroad’s
reporting procedures. We extensively review and edit the reports
we receive and make inquiry when information is incomplete or inconsistent.
It is not possible to identify reportable events that were omitted
from a railroad’s submission. Likewise, there may be instances
where incorrectly reported information passes all reviews and is
accepted. Although we attempt to be as vigilant as possible in
both the editing and presentation of the accident/incident data
reported, errors do occasionally occur.
Finally, the United States Code of Federal Regulations (49,20903),
states that:
No part of an accident or incident report filed by a railroad
carrier under section 20901 of this title {49 U.S.C. 20901} or made
by the Secretary of Transportation under section 20902 of this title
{49 U.S.C. 20902} may be used in a civil action for damages resulting
from a matter mentioned in the report.
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