Crossings for the 21 st Century Michael Martino Senior Director Operation Association of American Railroads Standing Committee on Rail Transportation Washington, D.C. March 14, 2011

Crossings for the 21 st Century Safety Statistics & Trends –Grade Crossing Safety – Trespassers Next Steps

U.S. Railroad Safety Statistics: Main Themes Railroads have dramatically improved safety over the last three decades. Railroads compare favorably with other industries & transportation modes. The most troubling railroad safety problems arise from factors largely outside railroad control. Railroads implemented numerous and effective technological improvements and company-wide safety programs.

U.S. Railroad Safety Statistics: In 2010, U.S. railroads again achieved their safest year ever by the following major safety yardsticks: Train Accidents and Accident Rates, down 3% and 9%, respectively, from Employee Casualties and Casualty Rates, down 4% and 5%, respectively, from Grade Crossing Collision Rates, down 2% from Sources: FRA website: (2010 data) FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report, , Tables 1-1, 1-2. FRA, Accident/Incident Bulletin, , Tables 1, 51.

In 2010, over 95% of rail-related fatalities were grade crossing users and trespassers. Trespassers: 451 (60.5%) Grade Crossing Users: 260 (34.9%) Employees: 20 Passengers: 3 Others: 12 Source: FRA website: (2010 data).

Grade crossing collisions declined 81% since 1980 and 43% since Sources: (2010 data). FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report, , Table 1-1. FRA Highway/Rail Crossing Accident/Incident & Inventory Bulletin, , Table S. Notes: Includes collisions involving pedestrians. Includes collisions at private crossings. 10,611 5,715 2,004 3,502

Grade crossing fatalities have declined 69% since 1980 and 39% since Sources: (2010 data). FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report, , Tables 1-1, 1-3. FRA, Highway/Rail Crossing Accident/Incident & Inventory Bulletin, , Table S. Note: Includes pedestrians, employees, passengers, and collisions at private crossings

Grade crossing injuries have declined 79% since 1980 and 34% since Sources: (2010 data). FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report, , Tables 1-1, 1-3. FRA, Highway/Rail Crossing Accident/Incident & Inventory Bulletin, , Table S. Note: Includes pedestrians, employees, passengers, and collisions at private crossings. 3,890 2, ,219

Freight Car Reflectors May be Reducing Collisions at Dark Crossings. Source: AAR Analysis of FRA Highway-Rail Incident Database, Excludes Passenger Railroads and Passenger Trains. Rule became effective in March Reflector-Preventable Grade Crossing Collisions, Passive Crossings Only, in the Dark

Since 1980, the total number of public crossings has declined 36%, while the number with gates has increased over 150%. Sources: AAR Analysis of March 2009 FRA Grade Crossing Inventory Database. FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report 2009, Table 9-3. FRA Highway/Rail Crossing Accident/Incident & Inventory Bulletin, 1980, Table % Decrease Passive 75% Passive 53% Lights 17% Gates 8% Gates 30%

Grade crossing warning device upgrades work. Gates cut the accident & fatality rates by 93%. Source: AAR Analysis of FRA Grade Crossing Incident & Inventory Databases, using incident data and the December 2003 inventory data. Note: Collision opportunities are measured here as the average number of trains per hour multiplied by the average number of vehicles per hour moving over each crossing. It is useful primarily as a measure of relative, not absolute, exposure, since the time period (hour) is arbitrary. Grade Crossing Collisions per Billion Collision Opportunities

Grade crossing collisions are usually caused by motorist error. Drove Around Gate: 206 (14%) Did Not Stop 586 (39%) Sources: AAR Analysis of Highway-Rail Incident Database for 2009 (August 2010). FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report 2009, Table 8-6. Note: Motor vehicle highway-rail incidents at public crossings. Stopped on Tracks: 416 (28%) Stopped, Proceeded 98 7% Other 189 (9%)

Trespasser fatalities continue to be a significant safety problem. Sources: (2010 data). FRA, Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report, , Tables 1-2, FRA Accident/Incident Bulletin, , Table 13. Note: Excludes "trespasser" fatalities at grade crossings Total Trespasser Incidents Trespasser Fatalities

89% of trespasser fatalities in 2009 resulted from being struck by trains or freight cars. Struck by On-Track Equipment 393 Source: AAR Analysis of FRA Casualty Database for 2009 as of August FRA, RR Safety Statistics Annual Report 2009, Table Note: Excludes "trespasser" fatalities at grade crossings. Other 45 Train Accidents 5

Many Trespassers are Killed While Intoxicated. A North Carolina study for the period found that 78% of 128 trespassers killed on railroad property were intoxicated. The median blood alcohol level for this group was 2.5 times the legal limit. A 1994 South Carolina study of 24 train-related pedestrian fatalities found that 79% were intoxicated. Toxicology results on 78 of 132 railroad trespassers killed in Georgia in the period found 40 (51%) with alcohol levels above 100 mg/dL. A 2005 survey of coroners and Chief Medical Examiners found that alcohol and/or drugs were judged to be a factor in 530 (57%) of 929 trespasser fatalities in the period for which the additional data could be obtained. Sources: Andrew Pelletier, MD, "Deaths Among Railroad Trespassers: The Role of Alcohol in Fatal Injuries,” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 277, No. 13, April 2, 1997, pp Center for Disease Control, Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 48, No. 25, July 2, Bruce George, “Rail Trespasser Fatalities: Developing Demographic Profiles,” presentation to Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, January 15, 2008.

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