FATAL TRAIN-VEHICLE COLLISIONS IN MICHIGAN

DATA FROM THE MICHIGAN FATAL ACCIDENT FILE PROVIDED THE BASIS FOR A STUDY OF SOME BASIC FEATURES OF 366 FATAL RAILROAD-VEHICLE (R-V) ACCIDENTS, AND THE HSRI COMPUTER PLOTTING PROGRAM WAS USED TO GENERATE A MAP INDICATING THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF R-V FATALITY OCCURRENCE IN MICHIGAN FOR THE SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD, JAN. 1964-DEC. 1970. SEVERAL FACTORS EMERGED WHICH APPEAR TO DISTINGUISH THIS CLASS OF FATAL ACCIDENTS FROM THE CLASS OF OVERALL FATAL AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS. TWO-THIRDS OF THE FATAL R-V ACCIDENTS OCCUR DURING THE DAYTIME (NOTABLY DURING PEAK TRAFFIC PERIODS), WHEREAS MORE THAN ONE-HALF OF THE OVERALL FATAL AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS OCCUR DURING NIGHTTIME. IN ADDITION, 52.5% OF THE FATAL R-V ACCIDENTS INVOLVED FAILURE TO OBSERVE A TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE, A VIOLATION THAT WAS INVOLVED IN ONLY 8.2% OF THE OVERALL FATAL ACCIDENTS. /HSL/

• Authors:
  • GREEN, J A
• Publication Date: 1972-4

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 1-4
• Serial:
  • HIT Lab Reports
  • Publisher: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Fatalities; Peak periods; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad trains; Traffic control devices; Vehicles
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226622
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 12 1973 12:00AM