A comparison of driver behavior at railroad grade crossings with two different protection systems

An observational study was conducted which compared the behavior of drivers at a railroad-highway grade crossing as trains approached. The effectiveness of a flasher-only protection system was compared with one incorporating flashers and barrier gates for a particular crossing. The addition of the gates significantly reduced the percentage of drivers crossing in front of trains from 67% to 38%. Plots of crossing probabilities showed them reduced as time until train arrival and the distance of the train from the crossing decreased. Train speed did not seem logically related to the probability of crossing perhaps because it is not well perceived. Drivers crossing around barrier gates tended to stop or slow on approach significantly less than those crossing with flashers only. It was suggested that the gates themselves provided an impediment to crossing which forced drivers inclined to cross into making a hurried and sometimes perilous decision. Their behavior was seen as explaining the surprisingly high number of accidents that occur at barrier-gate crossings. Discouraging drivers from driving around barrier gates was seen as essential if safety at these crossings was to be improved. Extending the length of gates and the education of the drivers regarding the law were seen as possible ways of increasing compliance.