The overall rate is even higher, since the majority of rail traffic in the U.S. is freight, not passenger. The Federal Railroad Administration in recent years has taken pains to reinforce rail crossing safety messages. Part of the problem stems from the average motorist's lack of understanding about the physics of locomotives. A 150-car freight train traveling at only 50 mph takes 8,000 feet to stop. Often, by the time a train operator spots somebody or something on the tracks, it's too late to stop.
Critics also contend that the penalties for motorists ignoring rail crossing warnings are too low.
Incredibly, some states don't fine violators at all. According to the FRA, Texas suffers more rail crossing-related accidents than any other state. Second place with 288 deaths goes to Illinois, site of Monday's deadly crash. Future Rail Investigations May Mirror Aviation Rules Almost since the moment late Monday night when the City of New Orleans slammed into the truck south of Chicago, confusion has reigned at the accident scene. Rescue teams arrived to find a tangled mass of railcars and locomotives, an inferno racing through a double-deck sleeper car, and dazed and bloodied victims wandering about the crash site.