2015 ROW Fatality & Trespass Prevention Workshop
- James Harrison
Trespassing along railroad rights-of-way (ROW) is the leading cause of rail-related deaths. More than 500 preventable trespass fatalities and nearly as many injuries occur each year in the United States, and most of these incidents involve pedestrians. Based on the successful 2008[1] and 2012 ROW Fatality and Trespass Prevention Workshops[2], the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sponsored a third ROW Fatality and Trespass Prevention Workshop from August 4-6, 2015 in Charlotte, NC. The workshop’s program was presented by rail experts and safety professionals who shared their ideas on key issues, best practices, technical developments, human behavior, law enforcement, and public education and awareness outreach methods and techniques related to trespass prevention.