Thursday, May 13, 1999
Railroad crossing deaths decrease
Education, warnings given credit for change
BY RODD AUBREY
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of deaths and injuries at Ohio railroad crossings has decreased, in part because of an education campaign entering its third year, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said Wednesday.
Fourteen people were killed and 37 injured in crossing-related accidents last year, down from 26 killed and 46 injured the year before, the patrol said.
The reduction is similar to a nationwide improvement, said Warren Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington, D.C.
He credited better education about the dangers of railroad crossings, improved enforcement, fewer crossings and more warnings at intersections.
"Highways or Dieways'
The issue received broad attention in March, when an Amtrak train struck a semi-trailer truck at a rural crossing near Bourbonnais, Ill., killing 11 people and injuring more than 100.
On Wednesday, the State Highway Patrol, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Department of Public Safety and a nonprofit group called Operation Lifesaver introduced the third and final part of an education and enforcement campaign called “Highways or Dieways.”
It includes graphic public service ads for radio and television that could be broadcast statewide immediately. They are made up of crash re-enactments and footage from accidents.
Media were invited on a train ride from Cleveland to Crestline to see, from a camera mounted on the front of a locomotive, traffic racing through crossings.
Police on the train, along the route and in the air cited four violators, including the driver of a tractor-trailer. Drivers who disobey traffic signals at railroad crossings could be sentenced to 30 days in jail and be fined $250.
"They take a chance'
Another camera-equipped train was scheduled to run from Columbus to Galion today, and similar trips were planned every month through the summer.
Although the number of accidents and fatalities is decreasing, near-misses remain a concern and are not counted, said John Bentley, a spokesman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, a 58,000-member union based in Cleveland.
“People just aren't very patient,” he said. “They don't want to wait. So they take a chance and try to beat a train. Sometimes they make it and sometimes they don't.”
More money is being spent by Congress, the state and railroads to improve markings at crossings.
A standard set of lights and gates can cost up to $175,000.
But the improvements are not guarantees of safety, because about half of the accidents happen at crossings with lights and gates, said Dick Kimmins, spokesman for the PUCO, which regulates their placement.
“Even though these safety devices work, they are not foolproof,” he said. “That's troubling.”
More than half of crossing accidents happen in daylight with dry roads and excellent visibility, he said.
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