Train-Vehicle Crashes Decline

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio says there were 71 train-vehicle crashes last year, down from 112 in 2003. The Commission's Ohio Grade Crossing Statistics Report for 2012 shows more than half of the crashes were at crossings with active warning devices. It also says many of the crashes occurred because of drivers failing to stop, driving around the gates or stopping or stalling on tracks. The commission ordered more than 500 federal, state and locally funded safety upgrades last year, including installation of lights and gates. Ohio is the fifth leading state in terms of goods transported by rail, with thousands of trains operating on nearly 53 hundred miles of track and 58 hundred public crossings.