Railroad Safety

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Grade crossing accidents usually fall into 3 categories
**.....all of which are preventable accidents!**
Categories	Causes
Car hit by train	Predominately by inattentiveness to railroad crossings and trying to beat trains.
Car hitting side of a stopped or moving train	Overdriving headlights on unlit roads - usually combined with DUI, falling asleep at the wheel, and using cruise-control.
Train hitting pedestrian	Walking on tracks, usually while wearing headphones and/or being intoxicated.

How much do a few minutes cost to you? It is certainly not worth giving up your own life or physical abilities to beat a train.

While shooting videos of trains year after year, you wouldn't believe the dangerous things you catch people doing around railroad tracks. Network TV shows such as "World's Scariest Train Crashes" are primarily designed to entertain you. The purpose of this page is to educate and show what NOT to do!

Playing Chicken

Goshen, Indiana. On this particular evening in downtown Goshen this kid and his friend were playing a deadly game of chicken with trains. After the gates went down for Amtrak #30, the two of them ran across the tracks and then one of them hopped back across, missing the lead locomotive by just 1 second or so. When I filmed this I didn't realize how close he was to getting hit until I watched it a couple of times. Play this movie and see just how close this kid was to dying.

This is very foolish and scary. Just one stumble and this kid would have looked like a large squashed bug on the front of the locomotive. What possibly could motivate anyone to do such a stupid thing? [MPEG Movie , 683 KB, 13 sec.]

Not Paying Attention

Milford Jct., Indiana. For many years this crossing was dreaded by CSX crews because it was blind from both sides and had no protection. It is now protected by both flashers and gates, however in this photo the crossing still has only crossbucks. This westbound is moving about 50 MPH and you wonder if the motorist and/or passengers even looked to their right. Time between - about 6 seconds.

My Life Is Worth Not Being Late

One dangerous crossing....Lumber St. in Chicago's Loop. This crossing is protected by flashers but it still isn't enough to keep this motorist from crossing. How much time could this have cost this individual? 10 seconds maybe? It is only a single locomotive and believe me..the engineer was blowing the whistle constantly. Time between - about 2 seconds.

Alertness Pays Off

Milford Jct., Indiana. Is the truck going to cross? Just imagine what the engineer is thinking sitting in the cab of a 79 MPH passenger train and seeing this truck pull up to the crossing. If the truck stalls there is absolutely no way the engineer could stop. Fortunately the truck driver saw the Amtrak train coming at full speed and then backed up. Time between - about 12 seconds.

Nice Truck, Bad Driver

Lima, Ohio. That sure is a nice new Ford Ranger. Unfortunately, even with the windows rolled down and arm out the window this guy doesn't seem to care about driving in front of a train that could smash that truck and himself like a coke can. Time between - about 3 seconds.

What Couldn't Wait?

Warsaw, Indiana. Conrail INEL accelerates northbound up the hill through downtown Warsaw with the whistle blaring and the crossing flashers clearly operating at this crossing, but this fellow still takes a big chance. Time between - about 5 seconds. The train blocked this crossing for only about 1 1/2 minutes from lead unit to last car. What couldn't have waited a minute and a half?

Fortunately The Brakes Worked

Again at Milford Jct. This Blazer is stopped but did so only when he saw the train, and not prior to the crossbucks. He was obviously trying to beat the train and then changed his mind at the last second. It's foolish things like this that kill people at grade crossings!!

Unbelievably Dumb

In Monroeville, Indiana this individual slips around the gates even though the whistle is blowing. His windows are clearly rolled down in this picture. Time between - about 3 seconds.

One Stumble = Death

Butler, IN. Amtrak 44 is quickly rounding the curve as this girl casually hops across the tracks. Time between - about 4 seconds.

Standing In Front Of The Gate

Elkhart, Indiana. An eastbound is running through the curve on track 2 at the Main St. crossing and these two guys just casually stand in front of the crossing gates as a westbound approaches on track 1. Not only are they standing too close to track 1, but they are also standing right in the middle of the Kalamazoo Branch track. If the engineer hadn't blown the whistle these guys would have never moved. Elkhart is one community that briefly banned whistle blowing a few years ago.

Sitting On The Tracks

Delphos, Ohio. These two guys sit on the tracks smoking cigarettes as NS 21A rounds the curve and interupts their break from unloading the truck. The guy in the red shirt got up after he saw the train approaching, but the other was a little more stubborn. After several whistle blows, the other guy finally got up. The train was going 40 mph. Could he have stopped in time? No way. People just don't realize this. Time between - about 15 seconds.

A Typical Gate Slalom

Fort Wayne, Indiana. This driver slips around the gates at Anthony Blvd. in front of this westbound coal train which was going about 35 mph. The passenger on the right was talking on a cellphone and didn't even glance to the left. This crossing was actually one to be eliminated during the NKP's elevation project but the nearby Maumee River and dam deemed it impossible to do.

Don't think it looks close? Take a look at this video. From the time his rear bumper cleared the track to the would-be point of impact is just 7 seconds. [Real Video, 161 KB, 11 sec.]

Total Disregard For Existing Safety Devices

Huntington, Indiana. The Byron St. crossing is one where I used to see many people come close to dying. It was only protected only by flashers and today has gates. As I watched this person go across this crossing I just grit my teeth in disgust. Most trains roll through Huntington at 50-60 mph and only cause a minute or so delay to motorists or pedestrians. Time between - about 6 seconds.

The westbound train is going about 50 mph and this person speeds across without even slowing down. As you approach this crossing from the north, the gray hangar-looking building blocks your view to the east so there's no way this driver could have even looked. [Real Video, 158K, 12 sec.]

Grade crossing accidents usually fall into 3 categories

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