Train-Vehicle Accidents Up - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Train-Vehicle Accidents Up

2012 will likely go down as one of the most dangerous years in recent history for vehicle-train accidents in North Dakota --- that's according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Since 2007 North Dakota has experienced more than 100 vehicle-train accidents resulting in 11 fatalities.
Highway Patrol Captain Gary Orluck believes the spike is due to the increased number of out of towners who are not familiar with the locations of the crossings and the frequency of the trains.
Many of the high traffic crossings are marked with a stop sign in addition to the gates but Orluck stresses that the public should always slow down or stop at a crossing.

(Captain Gary Orluck, Northwest Region North Dakota Highway Patrol) "It is the rural area where we are seeing these issues. Some of those areas where you don't get very many crossing gates that come down over these crossings and people are just not paying attention to the fact that it is a crossing and there could be a train coming."

There is a 50 dollar fine and three points on your driving record if a vehicle fails to yield to a train.