Evaluation of a Low-Cost Countermeasure to Prevent Incorrect Turns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

Vehicle incursion onto rail tracks is a significant safety issue at highway-rail at-grade crossings. Rail track incursion incidents are observed primarily at these crossings adjacent to roadway facilities at which turning movements are expected (i.e., intersections, driveways, ramps, etc.). Drivers unfamiliar with the area or distracted may enter the turning lane and make a wrong decision at the apparent turning point. Once the driver passes the shoulder and the lateral concrete slab, the vehicle will likely get stuck on the railroad tracks, leading to a hazardous situation. The authors present the results of before-and-after studies which identified five major contributing causes of incorrect turns onto railroad tracks: 1) potentially misleading signs and pavement markings near highway-rail crossings, 2) darkness and low visibility near or at highway-rail crossings, 3) following inaccurate turn instructions from a GPS device onto railroad tracks, 4) skewed highway-rail grade crossings, and 5) driver distraction.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/614107147
• Authors:
  • Wang, Zhenyu
  • Lin, Pei-Sung
  • Vasili, Abhijit
  • Guo, Rui
  • Yang, Runan
• Publication Date: 2021-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 43-48
• Serial:
  • ITE Journal
  • Volume: 91
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
  • ISSN: 0162-8178
  • Serial URL: https://www.ite.org/publications/ite-journal/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Behavior; Countermeasures; Distraction; Drivers; Railroad grade crossings; Road markings; Signs; Traffic safety; Turning traffic
• Geographic Terms: Florida
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01768061
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 25 2021 9:32AM