Editing Level crossing (section)

==Safety==

Trains have a much larger [[mass]] relative to their braking capability, and thus a far longer [[braking distance]] than road vehicles. With rare exceptions, trains do not stop at level crossings but rely on road vehicles and pedestrians to clear the tracks in advance. There have been several accidents in which a heavy load on a slow road transporter has not cleared the line in time, eg [[Dalfsen train crash]] and [[Hixon rail crash]]. At Hixon the police escort had received no training in their responsiblities. 

Level crossings constitute a significant safety concern internationally. On average, each year around 400 people in the [[European Union]]<ref name="Cirovic">{{cite journal |last1=Cirovic |first1=G. |last2=Pamucar |first2=D. |title=Decision support model for prioritizing railway level crossings for safety improvements: Application of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy system |journal=Expert Systems with Applications |volume=40 |year=2012 |issue=6|pages=2208–2223 |doi=10.1016/j.eswa.2012.10.041}}</ref> and over 300 in the United States<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mok |first1=Shannon C |last2=Savage |first2=Ian |title=Why Has Safety Improved at Rail-Highway Grade Crossings? |journal=Risk Analysis |date=1 August 2005 |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=867–881 |doi=10.1111/j.1539-6924.2005.00642.x|pmid=16268935 |bibcode=2005RiskA..25..867M |s2cid=5744697 |url=http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/208237/files/2004_ImproveSafety_paper.pdf }}</ref> are killed in level crossing accidents. Collisions can occur with vehicles as well as pedestrians; pedestrian collisions are more likely to result in a fatality.<ref>{{cite report |publisher=[[Australian Transport Safety Bureau]] |title=Level crossing accident fatalities |year=2004 |url=https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2004/lev_cross_fat }}</ref> Among pedestrians, young people (5–19 years), older people (60 years and over), and males are considered to be higher risk users.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lloyd's Register Rail |title=Study of pedestrian behaviour at public railway crossings |journal=Public Transport Safety Victoria |year=2007}}</ref> On some commuter lines most trains may slow to stop at a station, but express or freight trains will pass through stations at high speed without slowing. 

As far as warning systems for road users are concerned, level crossings either have "passive" protection, in the form of various types of warning signs, or "[[Grade crossing signals|active]]" protection, using automatic warning devices such as flashing lights, warning sounds, and barriers or gates.<ref name="Cirovic" /> In the 19th century and for much of the 20th, a sign warning "Stop, look, and listen" (or similar wording) was the sole protection at most level crossings. Fewer collisions take place at level crossings with active warning systems, and today active protection is widely available.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Federal Railroad Administration |title=Railroad safety statistics: 2005 annual report |journal=Federal Railroad Administration, Washington D.C |year=2006}}</ref> Modern radar sensor systems can detect if level crossings are free of obstructions as trains approach. These improve safety by not lowering crossing barriers that may trap vehicles or pedestrians on the tracks, while signalling trains to brake until the obstruction clears. However, they cannot prevent a vehicle from moving out onto the track once it is far too late for the locomotive to slow even slightly.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://honeywell.com/sites/aero-regelsysteme/Produktes/Documents/RS_e_40702.pdf |title=Honeywell Radar Scanner, Advantages & Benefits |date=11 May 2012 |publisher=[[Honeywell]] Regelsysteme GmbH |access-date=1 September 2013}}</ref>

Due to the increase in road and rail traffic as well as for safety reasons, level crossings are increasingly being removed. As an example,  [[Melbourne]] is {{As of|2024}} planning to [[Level Crossing Removal Project|close 110 level crossings by 2030]] and (due to the proximity of some stations) rebuild 51 stations.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

At [[Railroad stations|railway stations]], a pedestrian level crossing is sometimes provided to allow passengers to reach other platforms in the absence of an underpass or bridge, or for disabled access. Where [[third rail]] systems have level crossings, there is a gap in the third rail over the level crossing, but this does not necessarily interrupt the power supply to trains since they may have current collectors on multiple cars.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Alsdorf BÜ Bahnhofstraße.JPG|Level crossing in [[Germany]] with an egg-shaped radar sensor for detecting obstacles on the crossing
File:Stop Look Listen Sign.jpg|A "stop, look, and listen" sign in Britain
File:Pare-mire-escuche fcb.jpg|A "stop, look, and listen" sign in Argentina
</gallery>

{{Graph:Chart|width=270|height=200
|xAxisTitle=Year
|yAxisTitle=Rail collisions per billion miles traveled
|legend=Collisions in United States by traveled distance

|type=line
|x= 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003
|y1=1820,1350,1020,1000,850,920,970,860,770,740
|y2=,161,171,146,125,160,164,110,425,291
|y3=7.2,5.7,3.4,4.1,4.6,4.3,4.0,4.3,1.9,1.9
|y4=,0.9,0.4,0.6,1.2,0.9,0.8,0.5,1.0,0.9
|colors=#ae3C01,#2121ae,#7171fe,#c14A23,#FeFe01,#4674C0,#FeAaA5
|y1Title= All rail collision (by vehicle miles)
|y2Title= Rail collision at grade crossing (by vehicle miles)
|y3Title= All rail collision (by passenger miles)
|y4Title= Rail collision at grade crossing (by passenger miles)
|yAxisMin=0
|showValues=
|yGrid=1
}}
Source: US Department of Transportation.<ref name="caranddriver.com">{{Cite web |last=U.S. Department of Transportation |date=December 2005 |title=Transit Safety & Security Statistics & Analysis 2003 Annual Report (Formerly SAMIS) |url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/tsass2003.pdf}}</ref>
(1 mile=1.6{{nbsp}}km)


{{Graph:Chart|width=270|height=200
|xAxisTitle=Year
|yAxisTitle=Number of rail accidents 
|legend=Number of level crossing accidents in Europe
|type=line
|x= 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015
|y1= ,,,,592 ,517 ,573 ,510 ,506 ,469
|y2= 140 ,115 ,115 ,49 ,36 ,40 ,38 ,42 ,51 ,41 
|y3= 181 ,97 ,76 ,64 ,73 ,56 ,79 ,59 ,67 ,61
|y4= 275 ,325 ,278 ,98 ,86 ,86 ,77 ,75 ,65 ,74 
|y5=104 ,54 ,44 ,39 ,42 ,38 ,37 ,35 ,28 ,33
|y6= 9 ,14 ,23 ,16 ,7 ,11 ,10 ,12 ,11 ,3 
|colors=#802121ae,#80010181,#80010101,#80810101,#80ae3C01,#80a171ae,#c14A23,#FeFe01,#4674C0,#FeAaA5
|y1Title= EU 28
|y2Title= France
|y3Title= Germany
|y4Title= Poland
|y5Title= Hungary
|y6Title= UK
|yAxisMin=0
|showValues=
|yGrid=1
}}
Source: [[Eurostat]]: The rail accident data are provided to Eurostat by the [[European Railway Agency]] (ERA). The ERA manages and is responsible for the entire data collection. The Eurostat data constitute a part of the data collected by ERA and are part of the so-called Common Safety Indicators (CSIs).
Note: Since 2010, use of national definitions is no longer permitted: 2010 CSI data represent the first fully harmonized set of figures.

{{Graph:Chart|width=270|height=200
|xAxisTitle=Year
|yAxisTitle=Killed
|legend=Killed at level crossing accidents in Europe
|type=line
|x= 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015
|y1=
|y2=40 ,39 ,38 ,36 ,27 ,32 ,33 ,30 ,26 ,27 
|y3= 63 ,80 ,63 ,51 ,52 ,39 ,57 ,43 ,51 ,50
|y4= 30 ,48 ,39 ,73 ,55 ,62 ,62 ,50 ,42, 55 
|y5=23 ,20 ,42 ,29 ,30 ,27 ,27 ,21 ,19 ,25 
|y6=5 ,13 ,14 ,13 ,4 ,6 ,6 ,9 ,9 ,2
<!--#802121ae -->
|colors=#80010181,#80010101,#80810101,#80ae3C01,#80a171ae,#c14A23,#FeFe01,#4674C0,#FeAaA5
|y1Title= EU 28
|y2Title= France
|y3Title= Germany
|y4Title= Poland
|y5Title= Hungary
|y6Title= UK
|yAxisMin=0
|showValues=
|yGrid=1
}}
* Source: [[Eurostat]]: Annual number of victims by type of accident [rail_ac_catvict] Last update: 9 February 2017

{{Graph:Chart|width=300|height=200
|xAxisTitle=Year
|yAxisTitle=Killed
|legend=Killed at level crossing accidents in United States
|type=line
|x= 1999, 2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018
|y1=402, 425,421,357,334,372,259,269,339,290,249,260,250,230,232,262,237,255,271,270
<!--#802121ae -->
|colors=#80010181,#80010101,#80810101,#80ae3C01,#80a171ae,#c14A23,#FeFe01,#4674C0,#FeAaA5
|y1Title= United states
|yAxisMin=0
|showValues=
|yGrid=1
}}
* Source, Federal Railroad Administration<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://oli.org/about-us/news/collisions-casulties |title = Collisions & Casualties by Year &#124; Operation Lifesaver}}</ref>