Whether as drivers or as pedestrians, people need to learn the rules of railroad crossings and bridges.

A train's large size tends to make it seem to be going slower than it actually is. Freight trains can travel up to 60 mph while passenger trains can reach speeds of up to 80 mph. All that speed and weight make it impossible for a train to stop quickly. A fully loaded freight train can take up to a mile and a half before it can be brought to a full stop. Trains can’t stop fast nor can they swerve out of the way. All the railroad engineer can do is brace for the blow and, once he has brought the train to a full stop more than a mile down the track, report the crash and start filling out his incident report.

Regarding trains and railroad crossings, it is important to keep the following in mind:

• Assume that there is a train on every track at all times, even tracks that are rarely used. If there is a stop sign at the crossing, stop! If there is a yield sign or electronic signals, slow and make sure that no trains are approaching.
• If there are two or more tracks, make sure there a train isn't coming in the other direction. The crossbuck railroad sign will indicate how many tracks there are at the crossing.
• When stopping at a railroad crossing make sure you stop no less than 15 feet from the tracks.
• Never cross a railroad track unless you are sure there is room on the other side for your vehicle to completely clear the tracks. Many collisions occur when a vehicle's rear end is still hanging out over the tracks.
• Don't shift gears while crossing a railroad track; it could cause your vehicle to stall.
• If your car stalls on a railroad track, get out of the car immediately, clear the tracks and call 911 for help. If a train is coming, run away from the tracks in the direction of the approaching train. If you run away from the approaching train, you may be injured or killed by flying debris when the train smashes into your car.
• Never try to beat a train at a crossing or snake around the lowered crossing gates. Once the lights start to flash and the crossing gate arms go down, the train will appear in about 20 seconds.

Labels: railroad, railroad crossing safety, rules of rail road crossing

Did you know that a freight train traveling at 50 miles per hour, pulling 100 cars, takes one mile to stop? So in a crash with a motor vehicle, the train always wins. A train hits someone in America every 115 minutes often with fatal results. According to Operation Lifesaver, a national non-profit organization, nearly 2,000 Americans are killed and injured at highway/rail grade crossings each year. This number is greater than people dying in commercial and general aviation crashes combined.

Because your life, and the lives of others, depends on your skills as a driver, the following are some suggestions for you to think about when approaching highway/rail grade crossings:

• Trains do not run on set schedules and can be anywhere, on any track, at any time, going in any direction.


• Always yield the right of way to the train because the engineer cannot yield to you. Remember, it takes the average fully loaded freight train 1 mile to come to a stop.


• Never ignore active warnings at crossings. Locomotives are huge; 17 feet high and 10 feet wide. As a result, they appear to be traveling much slower than we think when viewed from a slight angle at the crossing. The combination of size and angle create an illusion and fool our minds into thinking the train is farther away than it actually is.


• Trains will arrive at a crossing faster than you expect. One in four highway-rail crossings takes place when drivers run into the side of the train. Often it's because the driver is going too fast for conditions such as darkness, rainy weather or fog.


• Always remember to look and listen when you see advance-warning signs indicating a rail-highway crossing.


• Never pass another vehicle when approaching a railroad crossing


• Before starting across the tracks, be sure there’s room to get across completely


• If driving a "stick-shift," be sure to shift well ahead of or after the railroad crossing to avoid getting stuck on the tracks.


• If your vehicle is ever stalled or trapped on the tracks and a train is approaching, quickly get yourself and all other passengers out. Don't try to take any other items with you. When the train strikes the vehicle it will send flying metal and glass ahead and outward from the locomotive. This is why it is extremely important that you and your passengers run far enough away from the tracks and in the direction of the oncoming train so you will not be hit by flying debris.

When it comes to railroad crossings, it is your responsibility to avoid a train since it cannot avoid you. Always keep in mind that any time is train time. Remember to look, listen and live. Stopping may add 60 seconds to your journey while not stopping could put an end to it completely.

Labels: driver safety, railroad, railroad crossing safety, trains

"A tin can is to a car... as a car is to a train"- unknown

First, the good news about vehicle/train collisions at railroad crossings; the number of collisions at railroad crossings has declined from a high of 13,557 incidents in 1978 to 2,746 in 2007, a decline of 80%. Now the bad news; in 2007, there were still 2,746 incidents. Drivers are still not getting the word that trying to outrace a train at a railroad crossing is a lose/lose proposition. 94% of the collisions and 87% of the fatalities at railroad crossings are caused by risky driving behavior or poor judgment on the part of the driver. Look at the facts:

• A large vehicle such as a train appears to be moving slower than it actually is. The maximum speed for freight trains is 60 mph while passenger trains can travel up to 80 mph.
  
• Even at low speeds, the impact force of a train is tremendous. A single locomotive weighing 432,000 pounds traveling at 35 mph will impart a collision force on a car of 885,000 tons of force. In order for an average car to impart that kind of crash force it would have to be traveling more than 4,200 mph.
  
• Once the train's engineer applies the brakes, the train will travel several hundred feet before air pressure is applied to the brakes on all the cars of a train and they fully take hold.
  
• An average freight train takes 1 1/2 miles to come to a complete stop.
  
• Of all the public railroad crossings (those crossing public roads and highways), only about 53% are controlled by electronic signals. Many private railroad crossings (on farms and industrial parks) are not marked at all.
  

How do you guard against becoming one of the statistics?

• Assume that there is a train on every track at all times, even tracks that are rarely used. If there is a stop sign at the crossing, stop! If there is a yield sign or electronic signals, slow and make sure that no trains are approaching.
  
• If there are two or more tracks, make sure there a train isn't coming in the other direction. In 2000, a firefighter returning from a false alarm waited at the crossing gates for a northbound train to pass. The train passed and stopped just beyond the crossing. The firefighter drove his fire truck around the gate and was struck and killed by a southbound train whose view was obscured by the stopped northbound train. The crossbuck railroad sign will indicate how many tracks there are at the crossing.
  
• When stopping at a railroad crossing make sure you stop no less than 15 feet from the tracks.
  
• Never cross a railroad track unless you are sure there is room on the other side for your vehicle to completely clear the tracks. Many collisions occur when a vehicle's rear end is still hanging out over the tracks.
  
• Don't shift gears while crossing a railroad track; it could cause your vehicle to stall.
  
• If your car stalls on a railroad track, get out of the car immediately, clear the tracks and call 911 for help. If a train is coming, run away from the tracks in the direction of the approaching train. If you run away from the approaching train, you may be injured or killed by flying debris when the train smashes into your car.
  
• Never try to beat a train at a crossing or snake around the lowered crossing gates. Once the lights start to flash and the crossing gate arms go down, the train will appear in about 20 seconds.
  

Labels: crossing, dangers, railroad, safety, safety tips