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FRA Releases Demographic Report on Rail Trespasser Fatalities

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in March released a new report on the demographics of pedestrians who trespass on railroad tracks. Trespassers account for the largest number of rail-related fatalities in the U.S. – approximately 500 per year.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) report contains three years of reported trespasser fatalities, coming up with a profile of the "average" trespasser. The data for the study was drawn from a survey of medical examiners and coroners across the country were surveyed. Based on the best information available from those who elected to participate in the study, the average trespasser is most often a 38-year-old Caucasian male under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, with a median household income of $36,000.

The report, Rail-Trespasser Fatalities: Developing Demographic Profiles, includes a state-by-state breakdown.

According to FRA, the report "strongly recommends additional demographic analysis to reinforce and expand on these results in order to develop targeted educational and outreach programs and law enforcement initiatives to reduce the number of rail trespassing incidents."

The report is available at http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/safety/tdreport_final.pdf.