Citation

Khan WA, Khattak AJ. Transp. Res. Rec. 2018; 2672(10): 38-47.

Affiliation

Department of Civil Engineering and Nebraska Transportation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE Corresponding Author: Address correspondence to Aemal J. Khattak: khattak@unl.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0361198118781183

PMID

unavailable

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.

Language: en