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Here is the rationale from the FRA.  They don't say anything about drivers being morons and idots: As noted in the NPRM, approximately<o:p></o:p> 4,000 times each year, a train and a<o:p></o:p> highway vehicle collide at a highwayrail<o:p></o:p> grade crossing in the United States.<o:p></o:p> Approximately 23% of all highway-rail<o:p></o:p> grade crossing accidents involve motor<o:p></o:p> vehicles running into trains occupying<o:p></o:p> grade crossings (‘‘RIT’’ accidents). Many<o:p></o:p> of these RIT accidents occur during<o:p></o:p> nighttime conditions (dawn, dusk, and<o:p></o:p> darkness) and involve a highway<o:p></o:p> vehicle striking a train behind the first<o:p></o:p> two units of the consist. This suggests<o:p></o:p> that a contributing factor to many RIT<o:p></o:p> accidents is the difficulty motorists have<o:p></o:p> in seeing a train consist at a crossing in<o:p></o:p> time to stop their vehicles before<o:p></o:p> reaching the crossing, particularly<o:p></o:p> during periods of limited visibility, such<o:p></o:p> as dawn, dusk, darkness, or during<o:p></o:p> adverse weather conditions.<o:p></o:p> As explained in the NPRM, the<o:p></o:p> physical characteristics of trains, in<o:p></o:p> combination with the characteristics of<o:p></o:p> grade crossings (e.g., grade crossing<o:p></o:p> configuration, type of warning devices<o:p></o:p> at a crossing, rural background<o:p></o:p> environment with low level ambient<o:p></o:p> light, or visually complex urban<o:p></o:p> background environment, etc.), and the<o:p></o:p> inherent limitations of human eyesight,<o:p></o:p> often make it difficult for motorists to<o:p></o:p> detect a train’s presence on highway-rail<o:p></o:p> grade crossings, particularly during<o:p></o:p> periods of limited visibility. Freight<o:p></o:p> trains lack conspicuity in different<o:p></o:p> environmental settings. For example,<o:p></o:p> trains are typically painted a dark color<o:p></o:p> and are often covered with dirt and<o:p></o:p> grime which are inherent in the railroad<o:p></o:p> environment. With the exception of<o:p></o:p> locomotives, trains are usually<o:p></o:p> unlighted and are not equipped with<o:p></o:p> reflective devices. Similarly, a large<o:p></o:p> percentage of crossings are not lighted.<o:p></o:p> Consequently, much of the light from an<o:p></o:p> approaching motor vehicle’s headlights<o:p></o:p> is absorbed by the freight cars, instead<o:p></o:p> of being reflected back toward the<o:p></o:p> motorist. In addition, the large size of<o:p></o:p> freight cars also makes them difficult to<o:p></o:p> detect. For instance, even if a motorist<o:p></o:p> is looking for a train, if the locomotive<o:p></o:p> has already passed, it is difficult to<o:p></o:p> detect the freight cars because the cars<o:p></o:p> often encompass the motorist’s entire<o:p></o:p> field of view and have the tendency to<o:p></o:p> ‘‘blend’’ into the background<o:p></o:p> environment, especially at night. Also,<o:p></o:p> because most drivers involved in grade<o:p></o:p> crossing accidents are familiar with the<o:p></o:p> crossings and with roadway features at<o:p></o:p> the crossings, the drivers become<o:p></o:p> habituated (or preconditioned) to the<o:p></o:p> crossings. Based on previous driving<o:p></o:p> experiences and conditioning, a driver<o:p></o:p> may not expect a train to be occupying<o:p></o:p> a crossing, and without a clear auditory<o:p></o:p> signal (because the locomotive has<o:p></o:p> already cleared the crossing) or visual<o:p></o:p> stimuli alerting the driver to a train<o:p></o:p> traveling through the crossing, the<o:p></o:p> driver may fail to perceive the train in<o:p></o:p> time to stop. This condition is further<o:p></o:p> exacerbated when a train is stopped on<o:p></o:p> a crossing.
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