Some people do dangerous things at railroad crossings. Marco daSilva, a systems safety program manager at Volpe, The National Transportation Center described how recent work, in support of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), has captured images of a car whose driver had run the safety gates and stopped only inches from a passing Amtrak train, of a pedestrian lifting his bike over the barrier to scoot across tracks as a train approaches, and of parents taking kids for a stroll on active railroad bridges. "We've even seen a woman pushing a baby stroller under the closing gates," explained daSilva.

"These are some examples of what not to do at a highway-rail grade crossing when the gates start going down," said daSilva. "We always hear about the Amtrak train that derails or hits something and somebody onboard is seriously injured—it always makes the national news. But every 3 to 4 hours somebody or something is hit by a train." Over 95 percent of all rail-related fatalities are due to drivers and pedestrians in too much of a hurry to respect warning lights and gates or who are trespassing for convenience.

Annual grade crossing fatalities have fallen from over 1400 in 1970 to less than 300 in 2012 due, in part, to efforts by FRA and Volpe. The Volpe team analyzes the causes of crossing fatalities and develops safety countermeasures, along with programs and guidance towards implementing such measures. The Volpe team has been working on a relatively low-cost prototype in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where pavement has been painted bright yellow at the grade crossing. "We hope this will reduce the number of cars that stop right on the tracks due to traffic," explained daSilva. The team is still collecting and analyzing data on traffic patterns in several zones bordering the tracks. Another project is looking at the effectiveness of low-cost improvements to pedestrian gates. "We built 'skirts' to keep people from ducking easily under the gate," said daSilva, "and we found it reduced improper crossings by about 55 percent."

To learn more, view the video highlights from Marco daSilva's talk.

Learn more about Volpe's Rail Trespass Prevention Research.