National
Transportation Safety Board. 1998. Safety at passive grade crossings. Volume
2:
Case summaries. Safety Study
NTSB/SS-98/03. Washington, DC. 60 p.
More than 4,000 accidents occurred
at the Nation?s active and passive grade crossings in 1996; 54 percent
of the accidents and 60 percent of the fatalities were at passive grade
crossings, where drivers are not provided warning from train-activated
devices. The Safety Board conducted this study to identify some common
causes for accidents at passive crossings and to identify remedies
to improve safety at passive crossings that are not scheduled for closure
or upgrade. The sample of 60 accidents investigated by the Board as part
of the study is not intended to be statistically representative of the
entire population of accidents at passive grade
crossings during the study period, but rather to illustrate a range of
passive grade crossing accidents. The report also relates information obtained
at the Board?s 1997 public forum on passive crossing safety. The safety
issues include (a) the adequacy of existing warning systems to alert the
driver to the presence of a passive crossing and an oncoming train; (b)
roadway and track conditions that affect a driver?s ability to detect the
presence of an oncoming train; (c) behavioral factors that affect a driver?s
ability to detect the presence of an oncoming train; (d) the adequacy of
existing driver education material regarding the dangers of passive grade
crossings and driver actions required; (e) the need for a systematic and
uniform approach to passive grade crossing safety; (f) and the need for
improved signage at private passive crossings. Safety recommendations concerning
these issues were made to the U.S. Department of Transportation; the Federal
Highway Administration; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration;
the Federal Railroad Administration; the States; Operation Lifesaver, Inc.;
the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators; the American
Automobile Association; the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials; the Professional Truck Drivers Institute of America; the Advertising
Council, Inc.; the Association of American Railroads; the American Short
Line and Regional Railroad Association; and the American Public Transit
Association.
The National Transportation Safety
Board is an independent Federal agency dedicated to promoting aviation,
rail-road, highway, marine, pipeline, and hazardous materials safety. Established
in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress through the Independent Safety
Board Act of 1974 to investigate transportation accidents, determine the
probable causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations, study transportation
safety issues, and evaluate the safety effectiveness of government agencies
involved in transportation. The Safety Board makes public its actions and
decisions through accident reports, safety studies, special investigation
reports, safety recommendations, and statistical reviews.
Recent publications are available
in their entirety on the Web at http://www.ntsb.gov/.
Other information about available publications also may be obtained from
the Web site or by contacting:
National Transportation Safety
Board
Public Inquiries Section, RE-51
490 L?Enfant Plaza, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20594
(800) 877-6799 or (202) 314-6551
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Technical Information Service. To purchase this publication, order report
number PB98-917005 from:
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Service
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