DRIVERS
OFTEN ON THEIR OWN AT TRAIN CROSSING
Bells, lights, gates: Officials are trying
to get more safety devices installed, but even sites with all
the warnings sometimes see accidents
By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune
December 26, 2005
WASHINGTON - In the past 10 years, 41 people
have been killed at railroad crossings in Utah, with more than
half of them at intersections where only a sign warned a driver
about a rail line.
In fact, most of the 914 crossings in Utah have only signs,
and 61 have no warning at all, according to an analysis of
Federal Railroad Administration data. In the wake of a deadly
rail-truck crash Dec. 14 in southern Utah, there are new calls
to improve crossings to prevent injuries and deaths but only
a small pot of money to pay for upgrades.
"Every day [in the United States] somebody's being killed at one of these
crossings," says Vickie Moore, an Ohio resident whose 16-year-old son
was killed when a train smashed into a car in which he was riding.
Federal investigators still are reviewing details of the recent
crash near Moab where an Amtrak train struck a semitrailer
that was crossing the the rail line at an intersection with
a road. The driver of the rig, David Miller, 26, of Clifton,
Colo., was killed, and five passengers and one crew member
of the Amtrak train were injured.
The rural crossing has only signs called crossbucks, the recognizable
image of two tracks making an X. There is no stop sign. Nearly
380 crossings in Utah have that sign as their only warning
mark, and about 80 of them are in Utah's most populous county,
Salt Lake, the railroad administration data show.
Supporters of increased crossing protection argue that active
intersections - or those with flashing lights and gates that
close when a train approaches - are more safe than a passive
crossing, where only a stop sign or sign indicating a rail
crossing warn a driver to yield to a train.
But active crossings aren't cheap.
The Utah Department of Transportation, which annually has about
$1 million in federal money to improve crossings, estimates
an upgrade to flashing lights and gates can cost $200,000 to
$400,000 for each intersection.
"We would like to be able to address all the crossings and be able to
put the appropriate warnings for them," says Michael Seely, chief railroad
and utilities engineer for UDOT. But costs are prohibitive, and since the signs
are technically road signs, it is the state's responsibility to pay.
"We do try to identify those that are the most needing improvements and
address those first," he adds, noting that some upgrades may mean just
ensuring the crossing is smooth so a vehicle doesn't get stuck on the rail
line. The crossing where the accident happened Dec. 14 will get reviewed for
a possible upgrade, Seely said.
Accidents between trains and vehicles have gone down, according
to Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit supported by rail companies
that seeks to educate drivers about crossings.
In 1972, there were an average of 12,000 accidents annually.
In 2003, the number was reduced to about 3,000, the organization
says.
There are fewer deaths and injuries in Utah now than 10 years
ago, but the numbers fluctuate. In 1996, for example, 13 people
died at rail crossings and seven were injured. Last year, three
people died in a crossing accident.
And, flashing lights and gates don't always stop deaths.
In 2004, an Oregon woman drove her motor home into a train
in Juab County, killing her and injuring her husband.
A report with the federal railroad administration and police
say the crossing has flashing lights and bells and both were
working at the time of the crash.
Two years before, a TRAX train hit and killed a 17-year-old
male at the 9400 South station in Sandy. Gates, lights, moving
lights called wig-wags, a train bell and crossbucks were there
and working.
In the past 10 years in Utah, 17 people have been killed and
22 injured at crossings with either flashing lights, bells
or gates, or a combination of the three.
"Usually lights or gates don't stop people from going around," says
Vern Keeslar, state coordinator for Operation Lifesaver, which he says talked
to about 25,000 people in Utah last year about railroad crossings.
Keeslar says no matter the warning device, the main point for
drivers is to always expect a train and know that a train cannot
stop quickly. The best protection, he says, is education.
Union Pacific, which owns a majority of the track in Utah,
is "active" with surveying and upgrading crossings
warning systems as well as a safety education program, according
to Mark Davis, a spokesman for the Omaha-based company.
Still, he says, drivers must pay attention.
"Every one of those warning devices says the same thing: Yield at the
sight of a train," Davis says. "Just heed the warnings, that's all
your railroad neighbors are asking you. These collisions and the pedestrian
incidents are the most avoidable other than personal" injuries.
Still, some argue that adding lights and gates and ensuring
drivers can see if a train is coming far before the intersection
would undoubtedly prevent deaths and injuries.
Moore's son, Ryan, was 16 when he and two others were killed
in a 1995 crash in Ohio. Even though her elder son Jason was
inching the car forward to see if a train was approaching,
he couldn't see it until it was too late because of all the
obstructions.
"To see down the track, you had to be on the track," Vickie Moore
says.
It's unclear how many rail crossings in Utah have such "sight
distance" problems, but Utah is not alone in a high number
of passive grade crossings.
Mark Rosenker, acting chairman of the National Transportation
Safety Board, testified before Congress this summer that according
to a study there are 97,000 such crossings in the United States,
and more than half of the 4,000 accidents in 1998 happened
at passive intersections, which, more than often, are in rural
areas with less traffic than active crossings.
"Those numbers have improved somewhat since the study was done, but the
accidents and fatalities still occur at unacceptable levels," Rosenker
said.
He added that drivers do not always understand that a crossbucks
sign means they need to yield to a train, just that they are
approaching a rail crossing.
"The crossbuck sign fails to convey a clear, concise, behavior-directing
message to the road user," he said.
As for Utah, UDOT's Seely says that some of the more dangerous
intersections have been improved and accident numbers appear
to show a safer trend.
"I think we do fairly well compared to other states," Seely said
about preventing fatalities and injuries. Still, with one person killed so
far this year and three injured, there is room for improvement.
"We'd much rather be at zero."
tburr@sltrib.com
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