SAFETY AT CROSSINGS

After two people were killed when a Burlington Northern train smashed into a car at an Oran railroad crossing recently, residents of the small Scott County community wonder what it will take to get safer crossings.

The deaths were the fifth and sixth at the same Oran crossing since 1957. The town has three railroad crossings, but there are no gates and only one has a lighted signal.

The state last year offered to install a lighted crossing at the site of the most recent fatalities if another crossing in town were closed, but the town turned down the deal. Now the town board wants the signal lights installed.

But they won't come cheap. The average price for a flashing light or gated signal is about $125,000, and because federal and state governments pay for the crossings, only those deemed most dangerous qualify for automatic warnings.

Unfortunately, the most expensive crossing system won't prevent impatient motorists from ignoring the warnings. State law says motorists must stop within 15 feet of a railroad crossing when signals warn of an oncoming train. Whether a railroad crossing is marked with gates and lights or only painted pavement markings and signs, motorists must be responsible for approaching all crossings with care.

Railroad tracks are for trains. Yet many drivers seem to think the tracks are little more than a rough spot in the road to get over.

Certainly, the most dangerous train crossings should have adequate warnings in place. But if every motorist treated every railroad crossing as a stop sign, looking both directions before proceeding, there would be far fewer deadly crashes.