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Electronic Surveillance of Railroad-Highway Crossings for Collision Avoidance: State of the Practice (2024)

Chapter: Glossary

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Page 65

Suggested Citation: "Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Electronic Surveillance of Railroad-Highway Crossings for Collision Avoidance: State of the Practice. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/28291.

Glossary

Alerts	Warnings to drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists of approaching trains; to train operator or dispatch office of obstacle presence or device malfunction; or to traveling public about blocked crossings.
Dwelling	Practice of vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, or trespassers stopping or lingering on or near the tracks at a rail crossing for a longer period than necessary, which can create a highly dangerous situation.
Fatalities	Deaths resulting from collisions between vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists and trains at level rail crossings.
Health of devices	Operational status, performance, and reliability of various safety systems and devices, such as flashing lights, gate arms, bells, and sensors installed to alert drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists of an approaching train and to alert train operators and dispatch or control centers about any malfunctions.
Injuries	Bodily harm resulting from collisions between vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists and trains at level rail crossings.
Near misses	Situations where a vehicle, pedestrian, or cyclist comes dangerously close to being struck by an oncoming train but avoids a collision at the last moment. These can occur due to a variety of factors, including human error, technical failures, and environmental conditions.
Positive train control	Positive train control (PTC) is an advanced train safety system (using a combination of GPS, wireless radio, and computer technology to monitor and control train movements) designed to automatically prevent certain types of train accidents, such as train-to-train collisions, derailments due to excessive speed, unauthorized train movements in work zones, and incursions into sections of track where maintenance workers or other trains are present.
Safety collisions	Accidents or incidents involving vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, or other road users and trains that occur due to safety violations or failures to adhere to safety protocols at level rail crossings.
Street blockage	Blockage of surface streets adjacent to rail crossings resulting from queueing of vehicles at closed rail crossings due to a train event.
Suicides	Tragic and complex events that occur when individuals deliberately place themselves in the path of an oncoming train with the intention

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	of ending their lives. These incidents not only result in the loss of life but also have profound emotional and psychological impacts on train operators, witnesses, emergency responders, family members, and the wider community.
Traffic advisories	Traffic advisories are important notifications issued to inform drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, train operators, and train dispatch/control centers about potential disruptions or hazards at rail crossings, such as temporary closures, maintenance work, train delays, or malfunctions at crossings.
Traffic management	Incorporating status of grade crossings (blocked, potentially blocked, upcoming blockage, or clear) through app alerts to manage road traffic by assisting users (particularly emergency vehicles) in making informed decisions.
Trespassing	Illegal and dangerous act of individuals entering or walking on railway tracks, near rail crossings, or other railroad property without permission.
Violations	Disregard by motorists, pedestrians, or cyclists of safety rules and regulations designed to prevent accidents between vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists and trains at level rail crossings.