Letter: Train crossing safety deserves attention

Dear Editor,

The horrific crash in Texas last November involving a train and a flatbed trailer that was part of a parade honoring veterans, is a reminder that, despite significant progress in safety, rail crossings must be approached with great caution. The Texas crash resulted in multiple deaths and injuries among riders on the trailer.

Fortunately, crashes and deaths at railroad crossings have declined both in Louisiana and nationwide. The Federal Railroad Administration reports that, nationally, incidents at public and private crossings fell from 9,461 in 1981 to 1,956 in 2011. The national Operation Lifesaver program reports that injuries and deaths at crossings declined by 84 percent since the organization was founded in 1972. The Highway Safety Research Group at LSU reports that in Louisiana in 2011 there were 45 injuries and seven deaths reported involving a train.

Despite the progress, Operation Lifesaver reports that a person or vehicle is hit by a train about every three hours. A variety of causes, such as distracted driving and trying to outrun a moving train, contribute to crashes at rail crossings. It is important for drivers to realize that they and their passengers will almost always be the losers in a crash with a moving train.

A train pulling 100 cars, traveling 50 miles an hour, takes about one mile to stop. The average train weighs 12 million pounds – about 4,000 times more than a car. A motorist in a crash between a train and a motor vehicle is many times more likely to die than in a collision between two motor vehicles.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission partners with Louisiana Operation Lifesaver and other organizations to reduce the number of crashes at rail crossings. We urge motorists to obey the flashing lights and lowered crossing gates at rail crossings–don’t try to drive around them. It’s not only illegal to do so, but it can cost you your life. We also remind drivers that you can’t always hear a train approaching if your vehicle windows are up, air conditioning is on and music is blaring in your vehicle. It’s also common for drivers to miscalculate how quickly a train will reach a crossing.

We are making progress in rail-crossing safety, but we continue to have too many deaths and injuries at these sites. Use common sense. Obey warning signals as you approach a rail crossing. If there is no warning signal, follow the old rule of stopping, looking and listening. Doing so can save your life and that of your passengers.

Lt. Col. John LeBlanc,

Executive Director,

Louisiana Highway Safety Commission