An illusory size–speed bias and railway crossing collisions

Is it safe to cross? Identification of trains and their approach speed at level crossings

“…Underestimation of the speed of a train approaching a rail level crossing could put road users at risk of being involved in a crash (Leibowitz, 1985;Meeker et al, 1997). For an observer, the travelling speed of a large object typically appears slower than that of a smaller object travelling at the same speed: this is known as the size-speed illusion (Leibowitz, 1985) and has been confirmed using several rail simulator studies (e.g., Clark et al, 2013;Clark et al, 2016;Cohn and Nguyen, 2003).…”

Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings?

“…A propensity to engage in risk taking or sensation seeking behaviour and a low perception of risk have both been found to contribute to intentional non-compliance at RLXs (Davey et al, 2008;Witte and Donohue, 2000). Experimental evidence suggests that illusory size-speed biases, which lead road users to underestimate the speed of large vehicles such as trains, could also contribute to intentional non-compliance (Clark et al, 2013). This occurs because road users typically overestimate the time-to-arrival of oncoming trains, which may lead some individuals to cross in front of an approaching train without realising they do not have sufficient time to clear the tracks.…”

Analysis of impact of meteorological conditions on human factors in estimating the risk of railway accidents

“…Perception of approaching railway vehicles by road users at RC does also have a significant impact on occurrence of accidents, since road users cannot estimate the speed of an approaching vehicle well if it is of large dimensions, as in the case of trains (Clark et al 2013).…”