Safety at the railroad crossings, 1968

Most people are so aware of proper driving procedure when approaching an intersection that they follow safety rules automatically. Yet, many people who are usually safe drivers ignore safety rules at the most dangerous intersection of allthe highway and a RAILROAD CROSSING. As at all intersections, one vehicle must yield to another, but the rail crossing demands extra precaution for three reasons: ( 1) trains and motor vehicles are ill-matched in size; ( 2) people have some misconceptions about possible danger and procedures; and ( 3) safety is the responsibility of the driver, railroad officials and law officials.
In Georgia in 1967, 246 rail-highway intersection accidents accounted for 112 injuries and 44 fatal accidents which killed 64 people.

PRIMARY CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
1. Poor Judgment Misjudging the train's distance, the driver races past signs, warning bells and light signals to crash into the train.
2. Nonobservance The driver waits for one train to pass but starts before he realizes that another train is on a second or third track.
3. Intoxication Drinking has numbed the driver's good driving habits, and he is more likely to take dangerous risks when approaching a crossing.
4. Carelessness If the driver crosses the same tracks often, he may forget to be careful. His mind is on other things and he hits a train he never saw.

5. Impatience The driver passes several other cars obviously waiting for a train to pass. He ignores warning signals and drives into the path of the train.
6. Speed The driver is speeding down a highway and although he sees the warning sign, he cannot stop before he reaches the crossing and rams the side of a train. This is a special danger at night if the driver outdrives his headlights, day or night if a driver goes too fast on unfamiliar roads.
Just one of these careless errors can be cause of death. Motor vehicle-train crashes kill one out of every four people involved.

Safety at railroad crossings is the duty of several people, but the driver must bear the biggest responsibility. He has the more maneuverable vehicle, can stop more quickly, or swerve to avoid an accident. He also has warning signs of an approaching train, but the train engineer has no warning of an approaching car.
Every driver should observe these safety precautions at crossmgs:
Observe crossing signs, signals and markings.
Approach all highway-rail intersections with the motor vehicle under control, prepared to stop if necessary.
Look and listen. If the view is obstructed, the driver should use extra caution.
Obey all traffic rules .

SPEED
ZONE
AHEAD
Heed the Warning Signs A railroad-highway intersection will not surprise a careful
driver. From 350-700 feet before the railroad tracks a round,
yellow railroad crossing sign gives motorists notice of a railroad crossing. A sign painted on the pavement may also warn of an intersection ahead. Drivers who look and listen will be ready to stop if necessary.
The crossbuck is always erected right at the crossing. The driver should take its warning to slow down, look, listen and proceed with caution. At busy intersections the crossbuck has

r
flashing red lights that signal a train's approach. Flashing lights mean stop and remain still until the lights quit flashing and the way is clear.
Wig-wag signals, gates and bells are also installed at many busy crossings.
Yet with all these precautions, one-third of grade crossing accidents occur at crossings specially protected by gates, flashing lights, bells, wig-wag signals or watchmen in addition to the crossbuck and round approach sign. Also despite all these devices to warn of a passing train, in one-third of the intersection accidents the motor vehicle hits the passing train. The train does not always strike the car.
Public Law Officials Fulfill Their Responsibilities for Intersection Safety by
Enforcing traffic laws and safety regulations pertaining to warning signs and signals in urban as well as rural areas;
Promoting information about intersection safety in order to help the public realize the importance of observing warning signs and bells.

What Is Being Done
The circumstances surrounding highway-rail intersection accidents clearly reveal the need for better understanding by the public, for more effective law enforcement, and for improvements through both highway and railroad engineering.
The National Safety Council has a Railroad Crossing Committee which has produced brochures, films and commercials to promote safety and increase public knowledge about railroad crossings.
The United States Secretary of Transportation has ordered an immediate program to reduce rail-highway grade crossing accidents. He points out that according to predictions 1,800 people will be killed this year in grade crossing accidents. According to the Secretary, state highway departments will select one grade crossing per 4,000 miles of federally aided highway system to test grade crossing protection systems. This will involve about 20 crossings in the nation. Knowledge gained from the tests will be applied on a nationwide scale in an effort to reduce losses that during 1967 amounted to an estimated 15 ,000 injured and $100 million in property damage.

Ra ilroads and Public Law Enforcement Play Safety Roles
I n their efforts to prevent accidents the railro ads:
E rect and m aintain m odern , unifo rm protecti ve devices, includin g the round approach sign, crossbuck and , where necessary, mo re extensive eq uipment such as bell s, fl ashing li ghts a nd gates;
I nspect all grade crossings to see if they a re m a in tained in good repa ir;
R emove obstructi ons to the views of trains from the highway;
Conduct speci al surveys of crossin gs where casualties h ave recently occurred to dete rm ine meas ures fo r preventing future accidents;
I nspect a nd in sure p roper m ain tena nce of whistles and bells on locomotives ;
Conduct campaigns of publ ic safety education to consta ntl y remind m oto r vehi cle d ri vers of their responsibility.

It's Up to the Driver ... Observe and Obey
Railroad and law officials can provide .safety devices and encourage safe driving habits, especially at highway-railroad intersections, but the driver alone determines if he will have an accident. Year after year a high proportion of all grade crossing accidents occur at protected intersections, in daylight, when pavement is dry and visibility is good. The careless driver endangers not only himself and his passengers but the railroad personnel and train passengers. Warning signs and devices avail if-and only if-they are observed.

Do You Realize
One-third of train-motor vehicle collisions result from the car striking the train.
One-third of the collisions occur at well marked, well protected intersections.
Highway-railroad accidents account for a low percentage of all accidents but are the most severe.
In all traffic accidents one out of 36 people involved dies. In train-vehicle accidents one out of four people involved dies.
One person in a motor vehicle can cause a collision in which hundreds of train passengers and personnel are endangered.
All drivers involved in collisions drive through the round warning sign and crossbuck to cause the collision.
It takes a half-mile-long freight train going 15 MPH only two minutes to pass a crossing. Passenger trains pass the crossing in seconds.
Patience can save lives.

SPEED
ZONE
AHEAD

SPEED
ZONE
AHEAD

1968

J A CK P. NI X , STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30334

PUBLICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICES I OFFICE OF STAFF SERVICES I GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION I ATLANTA GEORGIA 3033