Transcript TDMP Research Report - International Union of Railways

Improving Safety at Level Crossings
Australian Developments
Dudley Roach
Rail CRC Australia
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
Slide 1
Australian Railways
Narrow Gauge
Standard Gauge
Broad Gauge
Service Suspended
Interstate Standard
Gauge Network
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
Slide 2
Action Plans
• Prior to 2002 considerable activity but little
consistency or coordination.
• Important but uncoordinated initiatives by State
Level Crossing Committees (SLCC), road
agencies and the rail industry.
• The Australian Railway Crossing Strategy
Implementation Group (ARCSIG) was formed by
the Australian Transport Council (ATC) via the
governments' National Transport Coordinating
Committee, the Standing Committee on Transport
(SCOT) and its Rail Group.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
Slide 3
Components of Railway
Level Crossing Safety
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Slide 4
Railway Level Crossing Safety Strategy
and the
National Road Safety Action Plan
2003-2006
Developed by the Australian
Transport Council
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Level Crossings in Australia
An Overview
9400 Level Crossings in Australia
'Active' railway level crossings
Automatic Signals and/or Boom Gates
(n= 2649 or 28% in Australia)
'Passive' railway level crossings
static signs and/or pavement markings
(n= 6060 or 64% in Australia)
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Actively Protected Crossing
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Slide 7
Passively Protected Crossing
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Level Crossings in Australia
An Overview
• Each year there are about 100 crashes between road
vehicles and trains at level crossings in Australia.
• These result in 8 fatalities on average.
• Average 0.7% of fatal road crashes.
• Number of fatalities per 100 fatal level crossing
crashes was slightly higher than the number of fatal
road crashes per 100 road crashes.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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Big Bad Rail
In recent years the number of railway accident
fatalities in Australia has fallen from 12/yr to 8/yr.
Level crossing crashes are often severe and
dramatic and are reported emotively in the media
to the detriment of rail.
Level crossing fatal accidents still constitute about
half of the national rail toll.
Average 0.7% of national road toll.
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Slide 10
Upgrading
There are 6060 crossings with passive
protection.
About $350,000 is needed to install boom
gates, bells and flashing lights at a rail
crossing.
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A New Approach
for Australia
Not financially viable to obtain an engineering upgrade
solution.
The merits of human factor research needed to be tested.
Government funded programs focussed on factual
information and law enforcement.
Improving drivers’ understanding and behaviour through
training, information, education and awareness is justified.
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The Development of a
Community Intervention Program
for Level Crossing Education
Evaluates educational intervention programs
targeting different road user groups.
Uses a multidisciplinary approach drawing
on perspectives from psychology and
sociology.
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Objectives
• Develop, trial and evaluate a research based,
community intervention and education program to
promote safe level crossing pedestrian and driver
behaviour
• Decrease the level of ‘at risk’ pedestrian and vehicle
driver behaviour at level crossings
• Increase pedestrians’ and vehicle drivers’ knowledge
of appropriate level crossing behaviour
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Slide 14
Objectives (cont.)
• Examine the current organizational and social
context of level crossing safety
• Develop a model and strategies for intersectoral
collaboration to improve level crossing safety
• Identify and quantify (through mathematical
modeling) causes of rail accidents and subjective
probabilities of occurrence of accidents from
different groups of people
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Slide 15
Benefits to Industry
• Reduction in deaths and injuries
• Reduction in litigation and financial costs
• Raising the public profile and corporate
responsibility
• Leadership in managing safety risks
• Development of strategic alliances and
partnerships to sustain risk management
processes
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Activities
•
•
•
•
Target road drivers’ attitudes, knowledge,
perceptions and behaviour.
Focus on heavy vehicles, older and younger
driver samples.
Determining the key factors that contribute to
unsafe driving behaviour.
Evaluates of road safety interventions needed
to provide the rail industry with the necessary
information to assist in implementation of
strategies to improve level crossing safety in
Australia.
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Slide 17
Crash Statistics
• Currently, exact statistics of LC incidents
are difficult to determine.
• Most jurisdictions in Australia use different
methods of categorizing and recording
crashes.
• Lack of definitive evidence available
relating to the extent and nature of level
crossing crashes.
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Level Crossing Crash Fatalities by Mode of
Transport (Australia 1997-2000)
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Fatal Crashes
Sample of 87 fatal crashes:
• 66% point of impact at front of the train.
• 16% at the side of the train.
• Remaining being unknown.
• 67% in a rural areas
• 18% occurred in a capital city
• Remainder of cases the location was unknown.
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Fatal Crashes [Cont.]
Sample of 87 fatal crashes:
• 10% occurred at crossings with boom gates.
• 41% at other actively protected crossings.
• 44% at passively protected crossings.
• Remaining being unclassified.
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Fatal Crashes [Cont.]
Sample of 87 fatal crashes:
• 83% of crashes occurred in daylight
(excluding dawn or dusk) .
– 63% occurred on a weekday during the day.
• 14% occurred at night.
• 2% at dawn.
• 1% at dusk.
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Fatal Crashes [Cont.]
Sample of 87 fatal crashes:
• 85% occurred in fine weather.
• 84% of crashes occurring on a dry road.
• 46% due to unintended road user error.
– compared with 22% of other fatal road crashes.
• 26% of drivers were in the 60+ age group
– Compared with 10% in that age group for other
fatal crashes.
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Fatal Factor Comparisons
Factor
Fatal Level Crossing
Crashes
Other Fatal Road
Crashes
Adverse Weather or Road
Conditions
13%
9%
Alcohol/Dugs
9%
31%
Fatigue
3%
8%
Unintended Driver Error
46%
22%
Excessive Speed
7%
23%
Other Risk Taking
3%
5%
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Summary
Over 80% of fatal accidents at railway
level crossings in Australia happen in
daylight, in fine weather and on straight,
dry roads.
And the majority of all accidents occur
even with an appropriate warning system
in place.
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Slide 25
Summary
Unlike other fatal road crashes, accidents
at railway crossings were less likely to
involve fatigue, speeding, drugs or
alcohol.
Instead these crashes were more likely to
be attributed to driver error.
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Slide 26
Behaviour
Queensland
Reported Near Misses
per Year
673
Victoria
543
New South Wales
526
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Slide 27
Focus Groups of Train Drivers
Interviews to explore train drivers’ experiences of:
• ‘Incidents’ and ‘near misses’ (including frequency,
reporting, and characteristics).
• Motorist behaviour observed at level crossings.
• Vehicle types involved in level crossing incidents.
• The impact of level crossing incidents on train
crew.
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Train Drivers’ Opinions
• In non-urban areas:
– 60% of ‘near misses’ are due to poor visibility
(such as angle of approach).
– 30-40% actually due to the motorist.
• In urban areas:
– Impatient drivers evade the boom gates.
– Traffic queued across the track gridlocked.
– Trucks are particularly susceptible to gridlock.
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Cameras at Level Crossings
• RailCorp recently rolled out CCTV cameras
across its network in NSW.
• Signs tell if a camera is in operation.
• Cameras monitor and record any offence or
infringement, which may be reported to the Roads
& Traffic Authority or appropriate law
enforcement agencies.
• Data is analysed statistically for research purposes
related to level crossing safety.
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Level Crossing Safety
Camera Program
Between August and November 2004, motorists
were recorded over 28 separate days at a busy
crossing with a high record for incidents..
The purpose of this filming was to find out:
• what sort of road rule offences were being committed at
railway level crossings
• how often these non compliances were occurring
• how reliable traffic safety cameras are for collecting
information on these behaviours.
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Level Crossing Safety
Camera Program
• Over 5,000 offences during the 28 days of observation.
The three most common breaches of the road rules were:
– 64% - motorists racing the barrier while it was still
opening after the train had passed
– 24% - motorists entering the crossing even though the
road ahead was blocked and they couldn’t drive clear of
the tracks without stopping. These are referred to as
‘gridlock’
– 11% - motorists racing the barrier while it was closing.
Drivers committing gridlock offences are at the greatest
risk of being hit by a train.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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Level Crossing Safety
Camera Program
• A second trial of the camera at the same location
is currently occurring and is due to continue for
a number of months.
• A report on the results of the first trial is
currently being finalised and will be released
November 2005.
• A location to erect another surveillance camera
at a level crossing is currently being identified.
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PROPOSALS TO UNDERTAKE RESEARCH
INTO
REDUCING THE RISK OF CRASHES AT
RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGS IN
AUSTRALIA
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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FIVE PROPOSED NEW PROJECTS
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Project 1
Increasing The Conspicuity Of Locomotives and Rollingstock
• Outcomes:
– A comprehensive review of all options for enhancing locomotive
conspicuity under Australian operating conditions.
– Recommendations for improving locomotive conspicuity under
Australian conditions.
– Outcomes of visibility trials of the most promising conspicuity
enhancement treatments under Australian operating conditions.
– A definitive answer as to whether worthwhile conspicuity
improvements can be made to locomotives under Australian
conditions.
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Project 2
Adequacy of Warning Signals for Road/Rail Drivers
With Colour Vision Deficiency.
• Outcomes:
– Specifications developed as guidelines for the
development of new warning signals to provide
the least confusion to drivers with colour vision
defects.
– Field tests involving an examination of signals
in operation to determine the optimum signals
working characteristics.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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Project 3
Ranking of the Safety of Passive Crossings
• Outcomes:
– Project output will be a method for ranking the
(un)safety of passive crossings that will allow
efficient allocation of limited resources for
remedial work.
– The ranking system will be based on objective
data as well as expert judgment.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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Project 4
The Effect of Road Surface on Approaches to
Level Crossing on Drivers’ Awareness of Trains.
• Outcomes:
– Examination of the distraction to drivers caused by the condition of
the road surface. (potholes and corrugations).
– Evaluation of the effectiveness of speed restricting devices such as
speed bumps.
– Evaluation of the effect of smooth road surface in the vicinity of
the crossing in an otherwise poorly maintained road.
– Simulated laboratory experiments costing is dependent on the
scope of the project.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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Project 5
The Consequences of Increased Train Speed and the
Liebowitz Illusion.
Outcomes:
– Examination of the illusion of velocity and size
- the larger the object, the more slowly it
appears to be moving.
(The Liebowitz Illusion).
– Experimental data from the field and the
laboratory using computer generated images as
well as driving simulator experiments.
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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Thank You
www.railcrc.cqu.edu.au
International Rail Research Board - Paris November 2005
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