(The following article by Patrick Driscoll was posted on the San Antonio Express-News website on June 9.)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Although Texas leads the nation in the number of people injured when cars and trains collide, San Antonio motorists continue to take risks and break laws at railroad crossings.
San Antonio Police Department officers and Union Pacific officials were on the lookout for such lawbreakers Wednesday morning along two miles of track beside Frio City Road — and they stayed busy.
Two locomotives made five runs through a stretch of eight crossings as an onboard officer kept his eyes peeled and radioed seven motorcycle officers to chase down violators.
By the time the swaying tons of steel rolled to a stop and the last horn blasts faded, police had written 36 tickets, each carrying a $150 fine.
“It’s an eye-opener,” said Sgt. Bill Morales, the police supervisor at the site. “People just don’t understand the dangers that they’re putting themselves into.”
Five people died and 32 were injured in 60 crashes at railroad crossings in Bexar County from 2000 to 2004, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. There were five accidents and one death this year through March.
Last year Texas was ranked highest in the nation for both the number of collisions and people injured and was third for fatalities, behind California and Illinois.
Texas is a large state with a lot of railroad tracks and thus more opportunity for accidents, said Travis Benke, director of UP terminal operations in San Antonio. But there would be fewer accidents if motorists didn’t break laws, authorities say.
Common infractions include driving around crossing arms or past flashers and, as the driver of an 18-wheeler did Wednesday, parking on tracks while waiting for a signal light at a road intersection ahead.
UP’s Crossing Accident Reduction Enforcement task force works with local law enforcement to run several crackdowns a year at spots where motorists are seen not obeying warning devices.
“We just try to pick the high-danger areas,” Benke said.
Freight trains may look slow but they weigh an average of 12 million pounds and, even at sluggish speeds, can take up to a half-mile or more to stop, UP officials say. At 55 mph, at least a mile is needed.
About 75 to 100 trains a day course through San Antonio on five main lines, said Clinton Stade, a senior agent with the UP Police Department. There are 389 public crossings and about 75 private crossings.
“People don’t realize the magnitude,” he said. “That’s a lot of train traffic.”