Alleged discrepancies and lack of clarity on essential railway safety issues caused federal safety officials to withdraw a notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at reducing roadway worker injury and death from train or equipment movements on an adjacent track.

The notice of proposed rulemaking (.pdf file), published in the July 17 Federal Register, would “require railroads, contractors to railroads, and roadway workers to adopt and comply with additional on-track safety procedures.” The proposed rule also would have covered work groups using certain maintenance equipment and in certain situations; as well as requirements or training, job safety briefings, and recordkeeping practices.

FRA officials on Aug. 13 published notice of the withdrawal, citing concerns with parts of the NPRM accurately capturing consensus recommendations and clarity of safety issues.

Since May 2004, four rail employee fatalities have occurred on tracks adjacent to a track where a group of roadway workers had been operating on-track maintenance equipment. The most recent fatality occurred March 27.

 

High-tension cable barriers that serve as the median along some Texas roadways are saving lives and money, according to a study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute.

Researchers with TTI and the Texas Department of Transportation studied the effectiveness of the barriers for 12 months. According to a media release, preliminary findings showed the barriers – designed to prevent head-on vehicle collisions – prevented 18 fatalities and 26 injuries. Last year, a similar study showed fatalities dropped from 52 to just one.

The study also found that although maintenance costs for the cable barriers are much higher than costs to repair concrete barriers, overall costs are less expensive than concrete barriers. Other studies have shown use of cable median barriers can involve road design issues and cost issues. TxDOT has installed cable median barriers along about 700 miles of Texas roadways.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide will be watching for drunk and impaired drivers as part of the National Crackdown on Impaired Driving, taking place Aug. 15 to Sept. 1.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 16,000 lives are lost each year in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. In 2006, 17,602 people died in alcohol-related crashes. Progress has been made in reducing alcohol-related crashes for drivers younger than 21, but NHTSA statistics show people 21-34 years old continue to be disproportionately represented in alcohol-related motor vehicle cra