Train, Car Accidents Remain Safety Issue

You’re already late for work when the railroad crossing gates start flashing.

For a brief second you think “I can beat it.”

Then you watch aghast as another driver rushes across the intersection in front the oncoming train.

About five or six times a day across the United States, a train and a vehicle will collide at an intersection, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Collisions between trains and vehicles have largely declined since the 1980s. More than 9,000 such incidents occured in 1981, while 2017 saw around 2,100. Seeking to raise awareness, the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency has created a ad showing what happens when a train and vehicle collide.

And see how long it takes a freight train to come to an emergency stop.