The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday launched a redesigned website that has been billed to help drivers, pedestrians and law enforcement to be safer around the more than 200,000 railroad crossings and 140,000 miles of track in the US.
The new portal for railroad crossings is part of FRA’s campaign to cut down on fatalities at railroad crossings and railroad tracks to zero per year. According to US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, railroad crossings are in almost every town and city in the United States, and it is very important to prevent fatalities at crossings and on railroad tracks.
FRA data indicates that 96% of all rail-related deaths are preventable and occur either at railroad crossings or by trespassers walking on tracks.
Last year, FRA, also launched a campaign to cut down on railroad crossing fatalities by working with tech companies such as Google to use the latest FRA data that details where each of the 200,000 railroad crossings are on digital maps. In 2015, 244 people killed at railroad crossings, which was a dip from 264 the year before.
The new FRA portal has many interactive features that includes downloadable fact sheets on safety. Also, there is an easy-to-navigate resource library, making accessing information about railroad crossing safety and trespassing much more streamlined and educational.
We are very pleased as experienced railroad crossing accident attorneys in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina to see that the FRA is stepping up to the plate here. It is really important to use modern technology to cut down on railroad-related deaths. We have represented far too many devastated families whose loved ones were injured or killed at railroad crossings.
By carefully analyzing the scene of a railroad crossing accident, sizable settlements are possible; after all, it is the obligation of the railroad to ensure that railroad crossings are safely maintained and marked. But it would of course be far better if none of these railroad-related accidents ever occurred.