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[quote user="Convicted One"] <blockquote> <div><img src="/TRCCS/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> Bucyrus:</div> <div></div>   <blockquote> <div>   <div style="clear:both;"></div> </div> </blockquote>     A route conflict between trains and motor vehicles seems more frequently to result in collisions than does a similar route conflict between motor vehicles.  This is only my observation, and it would be interesting to learn of any research that happens to back it up.  <div style="clear:both;"></div>   </blockquote>   That's an interesting thought.  I found auto-train crash data for the 4 year period 2007-2010  here:  <a href="http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/Query/gxrtally1.aspx">http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/Query/gxrtally1.aspx </a>   I'm still looking for comparable data for motor vehicle -motor vehicle crashes.   Personally, I'd suspect that due to the greater population of auto intersections vs roadway/rail crossings, that the rail figure would be less, but that's just a gut hunch. <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] I am not sure how one could gather the data to prove this out.  It can’t be done by just comparing the number of vehicle/train crashes versus the number of vehicle/vehicle crashes in a certain area.   <o:p></o:p> One would have to sample a number of incidences of car/train encounters at a particular grade crossing, and then sample the same number of incidences of car/car encounters in a yield situation of a road intersection.  All circumstances such as speed, visibility, etc. should be a similar as possible between the two sampling sites, so the comparison is as apples-to-apples as possible.  Record say 10,000 encounters at each type of crossing and quantify the risk taking of the vehicle that is supposed to yield, the number of near misses, and the number of collisions at two sites.  This could be done by video surveillance of the two sites.  Broader sampling and more than just one set of comparison sites would yield better data.  But the point is to compare the behavior of the driver who is supposed to yield in each encounter.  <o:p></o:p> I am convinced that the sampling from car/train site would show far more instances of risk taking, near misses, and collisions than the data from the car/car site.  <o:p></o:p> I have ridden on the head end of freight trains and have observed far more risk taking and near misses than I see while driving down the highway the same number of miles and encountering the same number of conflicting vehicles that are required to yield.
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