A Review of trespassing accident and suicide on railway track for pedestrian safety

Abstract

Railway accident prevention and protection are a key part of a wider picture of transport safety. The rail sector thus needs to improve its knowledge of trespassing and suicide related accidents in order to work out suitable responses by analysing measures already taken. More than 100 people die each year in Sri Lanka due to the collision with a train due to suicides or trespassing. This research analyses the data related to above accidents recorded in Sri Lanka Railways. The following factors were considered for the analysis. 1. Distance from Colombo 2. Day and Month of the incident 3. The gender and age of the victim 4. Geometry of the railway track 5. Noise level of the surrounding area of the incident 6. Visibility between trespassers and train drivers 7. Weather condition 8. Permissible speed in the incident area 9. Availability of short paths avoiding railway track The review of articles and data gives a picture of where, how and who is involved in suicide and trespass accidents. Here the accidents implying persons out of level crossings, or “accidents to persons”, mostly involve unauthorized persons crossing or walking along the tracks, usually because of convenience. Another, much more common cause of fatalities and significant accidents out of level crossings is the suicidal intent of persons entering the railway premises to voluntarily be hit by a train. The main similarities between railway suicides and trespassing accidents relate to gender and location: the victims in railway suicides and trespassing accidents and observed trespassers were predominantly male, and most of the railway suicides and trespassing accidents occurred in densely populated areas.