Injury Severity of Truck Drivers in Crashes at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings in the United States

Abstract

The physical and operational characteristics of large trucks distinguish them from other types of vehicles in terms of facility design needs and safety requirements. A critical node in the surface transportation network is the highway-rail grade crossing (HRGC) because it represents a conflict point between different modes of transportation. The focus of this research was to identify factors related to different injury severity levels of truck/truck-trailer drivers in crashes reported at HRGCs. This study utilized a mixed logit model to investigate injury severity of those drivers and relied on 2007–2014 Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) crash and inventory data involving trucks/truck-trailers. Results showed that truck/truck-trailer drivers’ injuries in crashes reported at HRGCs were positively associated with train speed, when train struck the road user (truck/truck-trailer), when the driver “went around crossing gates”, older drivers, crashes reported in rural areas, and crashes at crossings with a minimum crossing angle of 60–90 degrees. Presence of crossbucks, gates, track obstructions, and HRGCs located within 500 feet of a highway were associated with relatively less severe driver injuries. The paper provides recommendations for safety improvements at HRGCs and recommendations for future research.