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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

RAILROAD AND HIGHWAY-RAIL CROSSING FATALITIES

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

RAILROAD AND HIGHWAY-RAIL CROSSING FATALITIES

Railroad and Highway-Rail Crossing Fatalities (annual data, selected series)

Railroad and Highway-Rail Crossing Fatalities (annual data, selected series)

Rail and Highway-Rail Fatalities (monthly data, not seasonally adjusted)

Rail and Highway-Rail Fatalities (monthly data, not seasonally adjusted)

In most years, the overwhelming majority of people killed in train accidents are outside the train. Many are occupants of highway vehicles, pedestrians, or bystanders at highway-rail grade crossings. Railroad workers and others on railroad property (including trespassers) account for most other rail-related fatalities.

Rail-related Fatalities    1999       2000   
Railroad only total    530    512
Railroad only total percent change from previous year  -8.15  -3.40
Grade crossing total    402    425
Grade crossing total percent change from previous year  -6.73   5.72
Passengers on trains     14      4
Passengers on trains percent change from previous year 250.00 -71.43

NOTE: Rail passengers on trains includes fatalities in both highway-rail grade crossings and nongrade crossing accidents. Railroad only total includes passengers on trains killed in nongrade crossing accidents. It also includes railroad workers (including contractors), other nontrespassers, and trespassers killed in train accidents, whether on or off the train, except at grade crossings. Data include both freight and passenger railroad operations.

Railroad    Jul-00       Jul-01   
Rail fatalities    96     88
Rail fatalities percent change from same month previous year  9.09  -8.33
Highway-rail fatalities    45     37
Highway-rail fatalities percent change from same month previous year 50.00 -17.78

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety, available at: http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety