A Comprehensive Assessment of the Existing Accident and Hazard Prediction Models for the Highway-Rail Grade Crossings in the State of Florida

Junayed Pasha, Maxim A. Dulebenets, Olumide F. Abioye, Masoud Kavoosi, Ren Moses, John Sobanjo and Eren E. Ozguven
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Junayed Pasha: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA
Maxim A. Dulebenets: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA
Olumide F. Abioye: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA
Masoud Kavoosi: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA
Ren Moses: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA
John Sobanjo: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA
Eren E. Ozguven: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-27

Abstract: Accidents at highway-rail grade crossings can cause fatalities and injuries, as well as significant property damages. In order to prevent accidents, certain upgrades need to be made at highway-rail grade crossings. However, due to limited monetary resources, only the most hazardous highway-rail grade crossings should receive a priority for upgrading. Hence, accident/hazard prediction models are required to identify the most hazardous highway-rail grade crossings for safety improvement projects. This study selects and evaluates the accident and hazard prediction models found in the highway-rail grade crossing safety literature to rank the highway-rail grade crossings in the State of Florida. Three approaches are undertaken to evaluate the candidate accident and hazard prediction models, including the chi-square statistic, grouping of crossings based on the actual accident data, and Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The analysis was conducted for the 589 highway-rail grade crossings located in the State of Florida using the data available through the highway-rail grade crossing inventory database maintained by the Federal Railroad Administration. As a result of the performed analysis, a new hazard prediction model, named as the Florida Priority Index Formula, is recommended to rank/prioritize the highway-rail grade crossings in the State of Florida. The Florida Priority Index Formula provides a more accurate ranking of highway-rail grade crossings as compared to the alternative methods. The Florida Priority Index Formula assesses the potential hazard of a given highway-rail grade crossing based on the average daily traffic volume, average daily train volume, train speed, existing traffic control devices, accident history, and crossing upgrade records.

Keywords: highway-rail grade crossings; accident prediction; hazard prediction; safety; crossing prioritization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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