How do you avoid being hit by a train?

Don't pass, stop or shift! Before starting across the tracks, be sure there's room to get completely across. Many drivers get trapped on the crossing, between other vehicles, and end up getting hit by a train or abandoning their car just in time to see it destroyed!



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Every three hours, a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States. However, many of these are preventable. This is one of the many reasons why being educated about rail safety is so important.

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Always obey warning signs and signals. Always look for a train before proceeding. before proceeding. AVOID crossing while lights are flashing or gates are down.

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Did you know that a person or a vehicle gets hit by a train every two hours in the United States? This includes the most disastrous of all accidents—a train-on-train collision, which can have catastrophic consequences. Approximately 1,000 people per year are killed in train accidents.

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“People assume that trains are loud, but that assumption is based on the fact that when a train's gone past them in a station it's noisy. That's because the noise a train makes is mainly projected to either side. When trains are moving directly towards you they are barely audible–until it's too late.”

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According to preliminary FRA statistics, 1,175 pedestrian rail trespass casualties (fatalities + injuries) occurred in 2022. There were 626 trespass-related fatalities and 549 trespass injuries across the U.S. in 2022. Approximately 84% of all 2022 trespass casualties occurred in these states. 1.

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The National Highway Safety Administration released a study that demonstrated a motorist is nearly 20 times more likely to die from the injuries caused by an accident with a train than in an accident with another motor vehicle.

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As of October, the FRA has recorded 742 incident reports for train derailments in 2023. Additionally, railroads reported 59 collisions, 12 fires, and 138 highway-rail-crossing incidents, which could include cars or any other vehicles or people at the crossing site.

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Train and Railroad Accident Causes In some cases, a train company may be found negligent for causing a motorist injury in the event of missing or broken train warning signage or lack of safety crossbars. Train operators traveling too fast or failing to use a horn to signal drivers of its approach may also be to blame.

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Red flashing lights and gates If the lights begin to flash or the bells begin to ring, STOP! A train is coming.

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IN THE U.S., A PERSON OR VEHICLE IS HIT BY A TRAIN EVERY 3 HOURS. TRAINS ARE QUIETER AND FASTER THAN YOU THINK — ONLY TRAINS BELONG ON THE TRACKS. THE AVERAGE FREIGHT TRAIN TRAVELING 55 MILES PER HOUR CAN TAKE A MILE OR MORE TO STOP — THE LENGTH OF 18 FOOTBALL FIELDS.

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The middle of the train is by far the safest for persons. The National Transportation Safety Board does not release comprehensive data on where victims were sitting during fatal train accidents, though some details are available in individual investigative reports.

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Compared to other popular forms of travel, such as cars, ships, buses, and planes, trains are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States.

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