Drivers approaching railroad crossings make the final decision to cross based upon visual information, although auditory information may also be used beforehand. The major sources of information that affect the decision-process are considered, such as the types of warning devices at the crossings and on trains, road geometry, pavement characteristics, obstructions to visibility, traffic density, natural and artificial lighting, vehicle design factors and driver variables, including expectation, attention and search behavior.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ColemanJ.StewartG.R.Investigation of Accident Data for Railroad-Highway Grade Crossings, Transportation Research Record, No. 611, 60–67, 1976.
2.
HauerE.PersaudD.N.Rail-Highway Grade Crossings: Safety and the Effect of Warning Devices. Proceedings, American Association for Automotive Medicine, 247–262, October 1986.
3.
HitzJ.S., Editor. Summary Statistics of the National Railroad-Highway Crossing Inventory for Public at–Grade Crossings, U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, Transportation Systems Center, Report #FRA-0PPD-78–20, 1978.
4.
MortimerR.G.Human Factors in Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing Accidents, Chapter 2: In Automotive Engineering and Litigation, Vol. 2, 35–69, Harland Law Publishing, New York, 1988.
5.
National Safety Council, Accident Facts, 1990, Chicago, IL, 1991.
6.
RussellE.R.KonzS.Night Visibility of Trains at Railroad-Highway Grade Crossings, Transportation Research Record, No. 773, 7–11, 1980.
7.
SchoppertD.W.HoytD.W.Factors Influencing Safety at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Report #50, 1968.
8.
ShinarD.RazS.Driver Response to Different Railroad Crossing Protection Systems, Ergonomics, 25, No. 9, 801–808, 1982.
9.
TenkinkE.Van Der HorstR.Car Driver Behavior at Flashing Light Railroad Grade Crossings. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 22, No. 3, 229–239, 1990.
10.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Fatal Accident Reporting System, 1989: A Decade of Progress, NHTSA, 1991.
11.
WildeG.J.S.PearceN.To Stop or Not to Stop, That Is the Question. Traffic Research Center, VSC. Haren, The Netherlands, 1979.