Crash Puts Focus On Rail Crossings

The accident at Bourbonnais, Ill., that killed at least 11 people and injured scores of others last week has refocused the attention of both the trucking and railroad industries on one of their most difficult common safety problems: grade crossings.

The incidence of truck involvement in grade-crossing accidents is relatively low — less than 9% for tractor-trailers in 1997, said Gerri Hall, president of Operation Lifesaver, who cited statistics from the Federal Railroad Administration.

But trucking accidents at grade crossings occur often enough, and lead to serious consequences enough times to concern safety officials.

“Trucks are not a big problem, but because of their size and the type of products carried, grade-crossing accidents involving big trucks can be more dangerous” to train passengers and crew, said Marmie Edwards, spokeswoman for Operation Lifesaver.

“That is why the American Trucking Associations have been a part of Operation Lifesaver since its beginnings in 1972,” she said.

One day after the Amtrak passenger train slammed into a flatbed trailer carrying steel beams, there were two more two truck-rail collisions, with one resulting in the death of a truck driver.

For the full story, see the March 22 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.