Driver injury severity study for truck involved accidents at highway-rail grade crossings in the United States

- The research examines driver injury severity for truck involved accidents at highway-rail grade crossings in the United States.
- Ordered probit models were developed for driver injury for truck and non-truck involved accidents.
- Marginal effects analysis were utilized to reflect the impact of contributing factors.
- Speed control for truck drivers will significantly reduce driver's injury severity.
- Area Type, traffic volume, roadway pavement, weather condition and visibility also work as important factors influencing truck driver injury severity at highway-rail crossings.

Although trucks only account for approximately 4% of all the vehicles based on the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) database, about 25% involved truck accidents happen at highway-rail grade crossings. This study applied an ordered probit model to explore the determinants of injury severity of truck drivers at highway-rail grade crossing in the United States. Given the importance of trucking to the economics of a country and the safety concerns posed by the trucks (as a result of their large size and weight making them difficult to control, maneuver, and stop), a comprehensive research on truck accidents is critical. Based on data analysis results, the strong effects of driver-, environmental-, weather- characteristics on the injury severities in truck accidents happened at highway-rail grade crossings are found. The findings reveal that better speed control for trucks will significantly reduce driver injury severity in accidents occurring at highway-rail grade crossings. In addition, several truck driver behavior characteristics (such as driving under influence of fatigue during peak hour) were found to be statistically significant predictors of high-level injury severity. Thus, education and enforcement targeted to truck drivers could facilitate safety improvements. Moreover, environmental factor (such as area type and roadway pavement) is found to be statistically significant. Truck drivers are more likely to have severe injury in open space area with low traffic volume compared with other areas. The bad weather and visibility condition is found to increase the probability of truck drivers' high level injury severity.