Preventing vehicle crashes with trains at grade crossings: the risk seeker challenge

A formative evaluation for a communication campaign to decrease rail-automobile accidents was conducted with a survey of 891 randomly selected residents in Michigan, USA. The formative evaluation was theoretically grounded in the extended parallel process model. The results of the study suggest that the majority of respondents engage in safe driving behaviors around railways. However, 10-20% reported extremely risky behaviors such as trying to 'beat the train' (labeled 'risk seekers'). Further analyses revealed that the risk seekers were disproportionately male with strong sensation seeking tendencies to engage in new and novel experiences and to avoid boredom. The results suggest that high sensation seeking tendencies cause one to experience greater frustration and exhibit greater judgment distortions around rail crossings, which in turn, cause one to try and beat the train. Specific recommendations are given for campaign developers and limitations to the study are addressed.