Citation

McGinnis RC. Transp. Res. Rec. 1979; 737: 31-43.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of retroreflectors on the sides of railroad rolling stock as a means of reducing highway-railroad grade-crossing accidents, and it estimates the benefits and costs of reflectorizing the U.S. fleet of railroad cars. Factors that affect the amount of reflected light received by a driver (including reflector characteristics, vehicle-reflector positioning, reflector cleanliness, headlight cleanliness and beam usage, windshield transmittance, and atmospheric conditions) were analyzed, and expected reflector illuminance levels were predicted. Under conditions expected in railroad operation, the analysis indicates that 15-cm (6 in) square delineators of high-intensity-grade reflective sheeting will permit detection distances sufficient for safe stopping in most highway situations, even under low-beam headlight illumination. Benefits were estimated from the 1975 Federal Railroad Administration accident data. Accidents were categorized into four groups based on the speeds of the train and motor vehicle and the collision point on the train. Reflector effectiveness for each of these groups was estimated by considering the type of crossing warning device, daylight accident rates, weather conditions, presence of obstructions, human factors associated with nighttime driving, and the train and motor vehicle speeds. The costs of a reflectorization program were estimated and a cost-effectiveness analysis was performed to assess the impact of visibility at grade crossings on annual benefits, since no reliable information is available on this important factor.