WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of people die each year at railroad
crossings, some recklessly trying to outrun trains, others who
never see danger coming. Now, with Amtrak pushing to introduce
high-speed trains in densely populated areas, grade-crossing
safety has become a more pressing issue. The federal government
is steering money toward crossings where fast trains may
operate, and state officials are scrambling for ways to improve
safety. "High-speed (rail) corridors are where you have lots of
traffic, pedestrians, highway users and lots of trains," said
Gerri Hall, president of Operation Lifesaver, a private
organization that seeks to reduce train-car and train-pedestrian
accidents. "It's a mix that warrants all of our attention."
There were 259,554 grade crossings in the United States as of
1999, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, and they
were the sites of 402 fatalities. By comparison, 83 people died
in commercial airline crashes last year. Though the railroad
fatality figure has decreased in t