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Block the crossing, get a ticket
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<p>There is a very serious consequence that grows out of these unreasonably long, frustrating crossing blockages that often occur. These experiences nurture, in the motoring public, a collective willingness to take a risk of beating a train. </p><p>Grade crossings seem to have an almost magnetic attraction to vehicle collision events compared to conflicting routes on roadways. How often do you see someone come up to a red traffic light and race across to beat a semi barreling down on the intersection? It never happens. The only difference is that many people perceive a train-crossing event <em>only</em> as something that can produce a delay that has no predictable endpoint. Another closely related factor is that, due to a unique combination of optical effects, trains usually appear to be moving slower than they actually are, which tends to mitigate the risk in the mind of a motorist.</p><p>I am not saying that these factors excuse the grade crossing risk taking; just that they help to explain it. I know that Operation Lifesaver, the police, the railroad companies, and highway designers have placed great emphasis on the analysis of grade crossing safety issues. However, I have never heard them take into account the contributing effect that grade crossing delays has on the psyche of the motoring public. </p>
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