[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 22, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCING THE FATAL GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. COLLIN C. PETERSON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 22, 2001

  Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the 
``Fatal Grade Crossing Accident Investigations Act'' to require the 
National Transportation Safety Board to investigate all crashes between 
a train and a road vehicle that result in a fatality.
  The NTSB is currently charged with investigating a variety of 
transportation and pipeline accidents, some of which result in no loss 
of life or even injury. However, freight trains and cars collide 4,000 
times a year resulting in 400 deaths. The NTSB gathers these statistics 
from the Federal Railroad Administration and feels that its work is 
done. Meanwhile, the NTSB is the only agency with the authority to 
fully investigate these fatal crashes, and its failure to do so leaves 
a vacuum where families have to fight with railroad companies for 
answers and local law enforcement agencies are powerless to help them. 
In some cases, the family of a lost loved one must sue the railroad for 
the train engine's data recorder or results of toxicology tests that 
railroads conduct on employees involved in a crash. The NTSB has the 
authority to collect this information--if it chooses to investigate the 
accident. My bill requires the National Transportation Safety Board to 
put its resources to work where a loss of life occurs on any railroad 
crossing.
  I am offering this bill with support from a group called Citizens 
Against Railroad Tragedies which brought to my attention the serious 
gap that exists in car-train accident investigations. I encourage all 
Members of the House to hear the concerns of their constituents who are 
associated with this group and to help us eliminate railroad crossing 
accidents by increasing the safety at intersections and investigating 
the crashes that tragically still occur everyday across our country.

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