Signals Ignored in Many Train Crashes
CHICAGO — As investigators seek the cause of the deadly Bourbonnais, Ill., Amtrak wreck, studies reveal that motor vehicle drivers are almost always responsible for train-car or train-truck collisions.
“Less than one-half of 1% of all rail-related accidents occur because an active warning device failed to function,” said Warren Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration. “People try to beat the train, and it happens way too often.”
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Experts say 50% of crashes occur at a public crossing where drivers of cars and trucks ignored warning devices that worked properly. This is leading some to call for tougher laws regarding railroad grade crossings.
However, warning devices, such as flashing lights or barrier gates, are at only 40% of the 280,000 crossings nationwide.
