(The Associated Press circulated the following on August 13, 2009.)
— Around 800 people died in collisions with trains in 2008, or an average of about two people a day.
— Deaths in train-vehicle crashes fell to about 290 in 2008 from more than 1,000 a year in the 1970s, a more than 70 percent decline.
— The number of pedestrians killed and the number of suicides on the tracks have remained at around 500 a year for the past 30 years. California had the highest number in 2008, with 59. Illinois was second with 35. Texas had 30.
— There are more than 200,000 railroad crossings where crashes between trains and vehicles can occur. Federal officials say nearly 95 percent of all collisions at crossings occur because of risky behavior or poor judgment by drivers.