| NuRail Project ID | NURail2013-UTK-R06 |
| Project Title | What is the Extent of Harm in Rail-Pedestrian Crashes? |
| University | University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
| Project Manager | Dave Clarke |
| Principal Investigator | Asad J. Khattak |
| PI Contact Information | |
| Funding Source(s) and Amounts Provided (by each agency or organization) | $60,000 NURail Funds; $24,000 Faculty Sal./Startup; $36,000 Reduced Overhead |
| Total Project Cost | $120,000 |
| Agency ID or Contract Number | DTRT12-G-UTC18 (Grant 1) |
| Start Date | 2013-11-01 |
| End Date | 2014-12-31 |
| Location | |
| Brief Description of Research Project | Rail trespassing deaths and injuries have risen, based on 2012 Federal Railroad Administration statistics. Specifically, fatalities to persons trespassing rail-tracks and property were 437, and trespass injuries were 427, both numbers higher than in preceding years and indicating billions of dollars in costs. With pedestrian-train collisions as a key concern in the future (due to increasing exposure of pedestrians and more trains), the problem is likely to get worse, if appropriate actions are not taken. This project will investigate pedestrian-train crashes, exploring the associations of pedestrian behavior and other factors with injury and harm. We will explore what the socio-demographics of those who indulge in unsafe trespassing acts and examine the critical combinations of crash types, rail-track facility types and rail property locations associated with greater pedestrian harm and injury. The results will shed light on appropriate countermeasures that can reduce severity of such collisions. |
| Describe Implementation of Research Outcomes (or why not implemented) | |
| Photos | |
| Impacts/Benefits of Implementation (actual, not anticipated) | |
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| Project Website | |
| Completed | yes |
| Final Report | NURail2013-UTK-R06_Final_Report1.pdf
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