THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AUTOMATIC PROTECTION IN REDUCING ACCIDENT FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY AT PUBLIC GRADE CROSSINGS IN CALIFORNIA

To assist the California PUC in performing its duties related to grade crossing regulation, the Office of Traffic Safety sponsored this project to determine the scope of the vehicle-train accident problem in California, to gauge the effectiveness of various types of protective devices and to investigate critically the possible use of warrants or criteria to assist in recommending where money should be spent on railroad-highway crossing protection improvements. A questionnaire was mailed to all cities and counties. The before-and-after accident histories of 1,552 crossings currently protected by automatic devices were examined. The actual and estimated costs of installing automatic devices at 1,296 locations were summarized. The feasibility of criteria to assist in placing grade crossing protection devices was examined. Information on each crossing was used to develop accident rate predictions and hazard indices.

• Corporate Authors:

  California Public Utilities Commission

  Traffic Engineering Section
  San Francisco, CA  United States  94102

  Federal Highway Administration

  Traffic Systems Division, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  California Office of Traffic Safety

  7000 Franklin Boulevard
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95823
• Publication Date: 1975-8

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Tables;
• Pagination: 196 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Crash risk forecasting; Crash severity; Design; Grade crossing protection systems; Hazard analysis; Prevention; Questionnaires; Railroad grade crossings; Risk assessment; Safety; Surveys; Traffic crashes; Warning systems
• Uncontrolled Terms: Design criteria
• Old TRIS Terms: Grade crossing accidents; Grade crossing protection
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00130988
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 127-301 Final Rpt., FHWA/HPR/T-0149
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 14 1976 12:00AM