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Citation |
Liu J, Khattak AJ. Accid. Anal. Prev. 2017; 109: 99-112. |
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Affiliation |
Beaman Professor & Transportation Program Coordinator, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The University of Tennessee, United States. Electronic address: akhattak@utk.edu. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
29054001 |
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Abstract |
Drivers undertaking risky behaviors at highway-rail grade crossings are often severely injured in collisions with trains. Among these behaviors, gate-violation (referring to driving around or through the gates that were activated and lowered by an approaching train) seems to be one of the most dangerous actions a driver might take at a gated crossing; it may compromise the intended safety improvement made by adding gates at crossings. This study develops a nuanced conceptual framework that uses path analysis to explore the contributing factors to gate-violation behaviors and the correlation between gate-violation behaviors and the crash consequence - the driver injury severity. Further, using geo-spatial modeling techniques, this study explores whether the correlates of gate-violation behaviors and their associations with injury severity are stationary across diverse geographic contexts of the United States. Geo-spatial modeling shows that the correlates of gate-violation and its associations with injury severity vary substantially across the United States. Spatial variations in correlates of gate-violation and injury severity are mapped by estimating geographically weighted regressions; the maps can serve as an instrument for screening safety improvements and help identify regions that need safety improvements. For example, the results show that two-quadrant gates are more likely to have gate-violation crashes than four-quadrant gates in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. These states may need to receive more attentions on the enforcement of inhibiting gate-violation at crossings with two-quadrant gates or have the priority over other states to upgrade these crossings to four-quadrant gates if financially feasible. Language: en |
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Keywords |
Gate-Violation; Geographically weighted regression; Highway-Rail grade crossing; Injury severity; Path analysis |