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How rare is it to get hit by a train?

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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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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In 2022, there were more than 1,000 train derailments in the U.S. There were at least 1,164 train derailments across the country last year, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration. That means the country is averaging roughly three derailments per day.

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The mortality rate was 17%. The mortality rate was high in victims who were hit by the train (p = 0.00013).

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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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HOW SAFE ARE TRAINS? Trains are statistically much safer than driving. In 2020, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics recorded 40,867 total deaths from travel, including in planes, in cars on highways and on trains.

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#1 Sri Lanka Tsunami Train Wreck The train, dubbed the Queen of the Sea, was destroyed by the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, in what is now considered the world's deadliest rail tragedy.

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Every three minutes, a person or vehicle is struck by a train, according to rail safety advocates. As part of Rail Safety Weeks, drivers and pedestrians can learn to make safer decisions around train tracks. The number is staggering; the result, often deadly.

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(Based on Preliminary 2022 Federal Railroad Administration Statistics)
  • Texas. 241. ...
  • California. 172. ...
  • Illinois. 148. ...
  • Florida. 117. ...
  • Indiana. 101. ...
  • Georgia. ...
  • Louisiana. ...
  • Alabama.


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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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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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While the company would like you to think the mass majority of these deaths are suicides the numbers don't lie: Brightline is the deadliest train operator in America, and has killed 88 people since it opened service to Florida's Gold Coast in June of 2017. That's a death for every 32,000 miles traveled, ABC reports.

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1650. England – Whickham, County Durham. Two boys die when they are run over by a wagon on a wooden coal train way. While such tramway accidents are not generally listed as rail accidents (note the lack of accidents listed for the next 163 years) this is sometimes cited as the earliest-known railway accident.

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Railroad deaths totaled 954 in 2022, an 11% increase from the 2021 revised total of 859 and the highest since 2007. Nonfatal injuries totaled 6,252, a 6% increase from the 2021 revised total of 5,882.

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On January 8, 1902, an express train from White Plains missed signals and plowed into the back of a commuter train that was backed up at the tunnel. Fifteen people were killed instantly and dozens more were bloodied and burned. It was the worst train accident in New York City history.

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  1. Airplane Safety. Airplanes are by far the safest mode of transportation when the number of transported passengers are measured against personal injuries and fatality totals, even though all plane crashes generally receive some form of media attention. ...
  2. Train Safety. ...
  3. Bus Travel. ...
  4. Boat Travel.


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According to the Federal Railway Administration's Office of Safety Analysis (FRA), the United States sees over 1,000 train derailments per year. In 2022, the total number of derailments reached 1,734—an increase of 88 compared to 2021.

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