Citation

Bowman BL. Transp. Res. Rec. 1987; 1114: 111-122.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Presented in this paper are the results of two tasks of a study sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration. The purpose of these tasks was to determine the effectiveness of railroad constant warning time (CWT) systems in (a) reducing motorists violation of activated at-grade warning systems, and (b) reducing vehicle-train accidents. CWT systems have the capability of measuring train motion, direction of movement, and distance from the crossing. These parameters are interpreted by the control logic to provide estimates of train speed and arrival time. When the estimated arrival time achieves a preselected minimum, such as 20 sec, the warning displays at the crossing are activated. Analysis of operational data indicated that CWT systems are effective in providing both a uniform amount of the advance warning and in reducing motorist violation of the warning system. A comparative analysis of vehicle-train accidents occurring from 1980 through 1984 was also performed. This analysis indicated that, in the majority of cases, crossings with CWT systems have a lower accident rate than crossings without CWT. Nevertheless, this difference was not large enough to be statistically significant at the 95 percent confidence level.

Language: en

Keywords

HIGHWAY TRAFFIC CONTROL; RAILROAD PLANT AND STRUCTURES - Crossings; HIGHWAY SIGNS, SIGNALS AND MARKINGS - Control; RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION - Accidents