The main cause of collisions at railroad crossings is driver behavior. Drivers who fail to stop, misjudge a train’s speed, or simply don’t notice an approaching train account for the vast majority of these crashes. In preliminary 2025 data from the Federal Railroad Administration, there have already been 1,870 collisions at crossings this year, resulting in 247 fatalities and 632 injuries.
Why Drivers Misjudge Trains
One of the most dangerous factors at railroad crossings is a visual trick your brain plays on you. Researchers have confirmed a “size-speed illusion” that makes large objects appear to move more slowly than small objects traveling at the same speed. A locomotive is massive, and your eyes naturally fixate near its visual center rather than its leading edge. This causes your brain to underestimate how fast the train is approaching, especially when you’re more than about 60 feet from the tracks. In practical terms, a train that looks like it’s far enough away for you to cross safely may actually be seconds from reaching you.
A study published in the Transportation Research Record found that the illusion is strongest at greater distances from the crossing. Researchers also discovered that when observers tracked a point at the very front of a large approaching object instead of its center, the illusion disappeared and they judged the speed correctly. But in real driving conditions, no one consciously controls where their eyes fixate on an oncoming train.
Distraction at Crossings
About one-third of drivers observed at railroad crossings in a field study were distracted. That’s a striking number given how unforgiving these intersections are. Train-involved vehicle crashes consistently produce more severe injuries and greater property damage than other motor vehicle crashes, so any lapse in attention carries outsized consequences.
The research identified several patterns. The presence of a front-seat passenger significantly increased driver distraction. Nearby intersecting roads also raised distraction rates, likely because drivers were focused on merging traffic rather than the crossing itself. Professional truck drivers were less frequently distracted than other motorists, suggesting that training and awareness of the specific risks at crossings makes a measurable difference.
Trains Cannot Stop in Time
A critical piece of context that many drivers don’t appreciate: trains are physically incapable of stopping quickly. A loaded freight train traveling at highway speeds requires roughly a mile of track to come to a full stop. Stopping distance increases with the square of speed, meaning a train going twice as fast needs four times the distance to stop. Even if an engineer spots a vehicle on the tracks and applies emergency brakes immediately, the train will likely not slow down meaningfully before reaching the crossing.
This is why the responsibility falls almost entirely on drivers. A train crew has no ability to swerve, and braking is largely ineffective in the short distances involved. If a car is on the tracks, the collision is essentially unavoidable from the train’s side.
Passive Crossings Are Far More Dangerous
Not all railroad crossings are created equal. Active crossings have gates, flashing lights, or bells that activate when a train approaches. Passive crossings have only static signs like crossbucks (the white X-shaped signs) or stop signs. The difference in safety is dramatic: passive crossings are almost 10 times more risky than active crossings, according to a Federal Railroad Administration analysis.
This gap exists because passive crossings rely entirely on the driver to detect an approaching train. There’s no barrier to prevent entry, no flashing light to interrupt your attention, and no audible warning beyond the train’s horn. Many passive crossings are in rural areas with limited sightlines, where vegetation or terrain can block your view of the tracks. If you’re approaching a crossing that has only a crossbuck sign, treat it like a stop sign: come to a full stop, look both directions, and listen before proceeding.
Weather and Visibility
Environmental conditions compound the human factors that cause these collisions. Fog, heavy rain, and sun glare can all reduce your ability to see an approaching train or the crossing’s warning signals. Research on weather-related traffic safety has found that fog on two-lane roads is associated with fatality rates up to three times higher than average conditions. At a railroad crossing, where the margin for error is already razor-thin, reduced visibility can turn a manageable situation into a fatal one.
Glare is particularly problematic at crossings that run east-west, where a low sun can blind drivers during morning and evening commutes. Snow and ice add another layer of risk by increasing stopping distances for vehicles, making it harder to stop even if you do recognize the danger in time.
What to Do at a Crossing
Every railroad crossing in the United States has a blue and white Emergency Notification System sign. This sign displays two pieces of information: the railroad’s emergency phone number and a unique identification number assigned by the U.S. Department of Transportation. If your vehicle stalls on the tracks, if you see a damaged gate, or if there’s any other emergency at a crossing, call the number on that sign and read the identification number to the dispatcher. This allows the railroad to pinpoint your exact crossing and alert any approaching trains.
If your vehicle is stuck on the tracks and a train is approaching, get out immediately and move away from the tracks at an angle, toward the approaching train. This sounds counterintuitive, but it ensures that debris from the collision is thrown away from you rather than into your path. Never try to outrun a train through a crossing, and never assume you have more time than you think. Given the size-speed illusion, the train is almost certainly closer and faster than it appears.