The intersection of railroad tracks with streets and highways at
grade crossings provides the opportunity for serious conflicts.
These conflicts have a great potential for serious accidents,
particularly where heavy trucks carrying hazardous materials or
trains carrying such commodities are involved. Trains carrying
hazardous materials present no special threat unless a
derailment has occurred. But the loss of life, serious injuries
and death, and a tremendous amount of property damage could
result. A railroad grade crossing accident can be a far more
serious and complicated collision than the typical automobile
crash. There are many types of railroad grade crossing
accidents. Some affect more than the vehicle driver and train
crew. In most cases, when a grade crossing collision occurs,
there has been a violation of at least one traffic law. The most
common cause of highway - rail collisions is intentional
violations of law, because of impatience or inattention. In over
25% of collisions, the vehicle driver r