An evaluation of a secondary school railway crossing safety programme

This study evaluated a railway pedestrian safety programme at an urban secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. Prior to the introduction of any interventions, observations were made to define the proportions of safe and unsafe crossings, and a survey was conducted at the school. The survey results suggested that the majority of unsafe crossings were undertaken to save time and for proximity. Three types of intervention were introduced- communications, education, and punishment- and their immediate and long term effects evaluated. Each of the interventions resulted in significantly reduced unsafe crossings, with he most marked decrease during the punishment intervention. Also see rec # 6493.