MnDOT: Rail Crossing Crashes At 2nd Lowest Since 1970

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Railroad crossing crashes and fatalities are the lowest they've been in decades, according to a new report from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Officials say the number of people killed in vehicle-train crashes and the total number of crashes at railroad crossings is the second-lowest it's been since 1970. MnDOT says only four people died in railroad crossing crashes in 2015 out of a total of three crashes, according to information from the Federal Railroad Administration.

In 1970, MnDOT says there were 56 fatalities in 392 crashes at railroad crossings in Minnesota. Officials say the decline is better than the national trend, where the number of railroad fatalities has generally stayed the same over the past several years.

MnDOT points to safety improvements as helping numbers steadily decline, including active warning devices and increased use of signalized crossing or crossbucks.