00334168

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The problem of night visibility of trains at railroad-highway grade crossings is discussed. Current practice, the literature, and some laboratory experimental data are summarized briefly. Of grade-crossing accidents, 37 percent occur at night; of this 37 percent, 47 percent are accidents in which a vehicle runs into the side of a train. A rough estimate of the benefits of illumination is a 30 percent reduction in night accidents at crossings. A mail survey that had replies from 43 states, 20 railroads, and 119 cities and counties showed that there are no illumination standards now in use for railroad-highway grade crossings and that U.S. practice reflects a great diversity of opinion. Comments are made on field studies conducted in Portland, Oregon; Lincoln, Nebraska; Houston, Texas; and Modesto, California. The majority of grade crossings in Europe and Japan have gates; Swiss and German recommendations for lighting at grade crossings are given. Some scale-model illumination experiments are also reported briefly. (Author)

Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Railroad-Highway Grade Crossings.

01411593

pp 7-11

1980

Transportation Research Record

0309031176

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Figures (4) ; References (18) ; Tables (1)

Lighting; Night; Night visibility; Prevention; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad trains; Safety; Standards; Visibility

Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

TRIS, TRB

Aug 15 1981 12:00AM

• COUNTERMEASURES TO IMPROVE SAFETY AT MULTILANE RURAL INTERSECTIONS (ABRIDGMENT)
• EVALUATING THE SAFETY BENEFITS OF RAILROAD ADVANCE-WARNING SIGNS
• EVALUATION OF AN ALGORITHM FOR DETECTING URBAN FREEWAY INCIDENTS DURING LOW-VOLUME CONDITIONS
• INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF LOCATION OF FREEWAY TRAFFIC SENSORS ON INCIDENT DETECTION
• LUMINAIRE PERFORMANCE ON ILLUMINATED OVERHEAD SIGNS (ABRIDGMENT)
• ON FORECASTING FREEWAY OCCUPANCIES AND VOLUMES (ABRIDGMENT)
• OPTIMUM LENGTH OF TWO-LANE TWO-WAY NO-PASSING TRAFFIC OPERATION IN CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE ZONES ON RURAL FOUR-LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAYS
• SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF OPTIMAL FREEWAY DESIGN BY COMPUTER SIMULATION
• TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT MARKINGS FOR SPEED CONTROL AND ACCIDENT REDUCTION (ABRIDGMENT)