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safety

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Media Reporting of Railway Suicides

Research shows that media reporting of suicides can lead to copycat incidents if journalists do not follow guidelines for responsible reporting. The Federal Railroad Administration and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center are working on strategies to encourage responsible reporting of rail-...

Working with Carriers on Suicide Countermeasure Pilots

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored a research effort at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center to work directly with rail carriers to identify, implement, and evaluate appropriate suicide death mitigation strategies. One such evaluation is underway with...

Improving Service and Safety at Penn Station in New York City

Penn Station is one of the busiest passenger transportation facilities in the U.S., serving more than 600,000 commuter rail and Amtrak passengers each day. In late March and early April, Penn Station suffered two train derailments within a week of each other. Following both derailments, U.S...

How Effective Are Pedestrian Detection Systems in Cars?

As pedestrian detection technology becomes integrated into the cars we drive, we must ask: How effective are these systems in preventing pedestrian crashes and injuries? How do we measure safety? A team of advanced vehicle experts at U.S. DOT’s Volpe Center conducted a study to find out.

Rail Suicide Prevention Resource Page

Over the past decade, research from rail suicide prevention experts in Europe, Canada, and Australia has illuminated strategies that can reduce rail suicides. Volpe and the Federal Railroad Administration built on this global research to develop a program with six focus areas to identify ways to...

A Look Back on 2016 with Volpe’s Annual Accomplishments

Each year, Volpe collaborates with the U.S. Department of Transportation, other federal agencies, and the broader transportation community on hundreds of projects that shape how people and goods move throughout the U.S. and abroad. Our Annual Accomplishments report highlights some of Volpe’s...

Traveling the Road to Zero Vehicle Fatalities

Fatal crashes are increasing, but nearly all of them are theoretically preventable. Volpe recently hosted NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind to talk about strategies and actions to achieve zero deaths on America’s roads.

Nominations Are Open for 2017 FHWA Awards Programs

Every two years, the Federal Highway Administration confers prestigious awards on transportation professionals in the public and private sectors who work hard to make U.S. roads safe and efficient for all drivers. Nomination deadlines are approaching for two of these three awards programs.

Volpe’s Innovations from the 2016 Joint Rail Conference

From eliminating broken rails and combating punctured tank cars, to making stronger interfaces between rail ties and ballast, Volpe engineers support the Federal Railroad Administration in making passenger and freight rail travel safer.

Enhanced FMCSA Site Means Better Motor Carrier Data

Accurate, complete, and timely crash and inspection data from states lets FMCSA better identify motor carriers that could pose a risk to the traveling public. A newly revamped website is helping improve that data.