Mar. 10, 2020

Presentation: Trespassing and Grade Crossing Accidents on Railways - Why They Exist and What Is Being Done?

Speaker:  Pasi T. Lautala, Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Rail Transportation Program
Michigan Tech University

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location: Science & Engineering Building (SEB), Room 1242

Abstract: Well over 90 percent of railway related fatalities involve grade crossings or trespassers
and after a long decline, the trend has plateaued or even increased in recent years. This
presentation will look into the causes behind the trends and outline alternative methodologies
that attempted to address the issue. It will also highlight research projects at Michigan Tech that
concentrate on investigating human behavior at crossings and the use of mobile platforms for
trespasser/grade crossing safety enhancements.