@gunrunnerjohn posted:600 people a year die in train crossing accidents each year, and I'm certain a vast majority of them have nothing to do with how the railroad operated, but rather some stupid move by a driver.
There's no argument that we shouldn't strive for perfection, but we also have to be realistic and know that it's rarely achieved.
In the early 1900s, roughly that many were killed by trains each year just in the City of Chicago. That is one reason why grade separation was mandated in many densely populated places. Obviously that is impractical for every crossing, but that's why gates and signals were installed. All of these features, plus public education have impressively reduced the number of deaths. One thing I concede is they could run more TV/Internet ads about crossing safety. Here in Oklahoma, we have the occasional PSA telling people of the danger of playing around/on oilfield equipment. I can't recall seeing anything recently about railroad crossings though. Maybe local ads targeting specific crossings could have more of an impact than generic Look, Listen, Live ads.
But people will be people, and do (or not do) what they want, ultimately. Trains are big, loud, and travel along an extremely predictable path. If you get hit by one, it's YOUR fault.
