Pedestrian railroad safety in the United States

Pedestrian railroad safety is concerned with the protection of life through regulation, management and technology development of all forms of rail transportation. In the United States there are some 180,000 miles of track.[1] Pedestrian railroad accidents are the leading cause of death on railways. More than 7,200 pedestrians have been killed by trains in the United States since 1997.

Train-pedestrian fatalities

Pedestrian railroad accidents are the leading cause of death on railways. More than 7,200 pedestrians have been killed by trains in the United States since 1997. An additional 6,400 have been injured. Each year on average about 500 are killed.[2] Between 2001 and 2011, the number of deaths involving trains and motor vehicles dropped 42% to 248. In the same period, deaths involving pedestrians only fell 6% to 434, the Federal Railroad Administration reported.[3] In 2014, every week in the United States, about 16 people were killed by trains.[4]

The most populous states have the greatest number of train fatalities. In 2014, California had 141 deaths.[4]

Notable deaths

Railroad industry response

The railroad industry has supported educational initiatives like Operation Lifesaver. The industry also may stage an enforcement blitz or put up "No Trespassing" signs.[16]

Criticism

The railroad industry has been criticized for taking the response that pedestrians on train tracks are trespassing on private property and thus they do not need to take steps to prevent people from walking across train tracks.[16]

Governmental oversight

Federal government

The United States Department of Transportation administers various regulatory bodies, the most relevant to railway safety being the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). DOT oversees the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Volpe and FRA conduct much of the available research on pedestrian railway safety.

Engineering

Fences

Some have called for fencing along known trespassing hot spots in order to prevent the number of pedestrian deaths.[16] After several deaths in Villa Park, Illinois, safety advocates built fences at spots where people would often walk across train tracks.[16]

GIS data in Google maps

In June 2015, the Federal Railroad Administration announced a railway safety initiative with Google that would include the FRAs GIS data into its mapping services. The data pinpoints the location of over 250,000 rail crossings in the United States. The FRA believes that providing the location of rail crossings in maps will enhance crossing safety by people who are using navigation systems while driving.[17][18]

Motion-detection cameras

After two children were kiled by a CSX train on a Bridge near the Erie Canal, motion-detection cameras were installed on the bridge, which sent images to a security company. If the company detected somebody on the tacks, a message on the speaker said: “Warning: You are trespassing on private property and are in danger of being struck by a train. Leave the area immediately.”[16]

Pedestrian bridge

Pedestrian bridges have been used to help prevent train pedestrian fatalities. After the 2005 death of a young boy, the city of San Jose, California built a pedestrian overpass.[16]

Education and awareness

Operation Lifesaver

Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit association, was co-founded in the 1970s by Union Pacific Railroad, and has been criticized as having a pro-railroad agenda.[19] In 2017, Operation Lifesaver, Inc. awarded $217,000 for rail safety public awareness campaigns in 15 states.[20]

Criticism

Operation Lifesaver has been criticized for its strong ties to the railroad industry and the groups skew toward the railroad industry. The group also has been criticized for not focusing more on pedestrian railroad accidents. The industry has reduced its support of the group’s efforts by providing fewer workers to help spread the group’s safety message.[21]

DuPage Railroad Safety Council

The DuPage Railroad Safety Council (DRSC) is a non-profit organization committed to preventing deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railways in DuPage County and all around the United States.[22]

See also


References

  1. ↑ Naylor, Brian. "Critics Say Railroads Should Do More To Prevent Pedestrian Deaths". NPR. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Frankel, Todd. "Hundreds die walking the tracks each year". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Copeland, Larry. "Pedestrian deaths by train remain steady". USA Today. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 Lavelle, Marianne. "Train Deaths Rise Amid Energy-Driven Rail Transformation". Scientific American. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Train Kills Woman In Downers". Chicago Tribune. Downers Grove, Illinois. August 27, 1991.
  6. ↑ "Another Death by Train". Historical Ramsey, NJ. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Patrick, Robert. "Parents sue Amtrak over teen's death in Kirkwood". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Accidental Death on VRE Tracks", Fairfax County Police Department, January 15, 2014
  9. ↑ Evening commute changes on VRE after person struck by train. Washington Post. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Fairfax teen dies after being struck by VRE train", Washington Post, February 26, 2014
  11. ↑ Busch, Anita. "Sarah Jones Family V. CSX: Location Manager Charley Baxter’s Big Reveal". Deadline. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "'Jersey Boys' musician John Jeffrey Ray killed by Amtrak train while posing for photo". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "Fitness Model Struck and Killed by Train in California". The New York Times. Associated Press. 18 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Glenn, Mike (February 3, 2017), "Beloved Rice scientist dies in bicycle-light rail accident", Houston Chronicle.
  15. ↑ Moyer, Justin. "k VRE service suspended after girl is struck by train in Northern Virginia". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frankel, Todd. "Towns, train fight over fences -- and responsibility for safety". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "Google, FRA team up for safety; will add rail crossing data to maps". June 29, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  18. ↑ Mouawad, Jad (June 29, 2015). "Agency Taps Mapping Technology to Curb Rail Crossing Accidents". New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  19. ↑ Bogdanich, Walt. "Highway Agency Disavows Claims by Rail Safety Group". New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  20. ↑ "Operation Lifesaver, Inc. awards $217,000 for rail safety public awareness campaigns in 15 states". Operation Lifesaver. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  21. ↑ Frankel, Todd. "Rail safety group shrinks as danger grows". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  22. ↑ Pyke, Marni. "DuPage railroad safety group aims to cut trespassing, suicide deaths in half". Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
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