Attitudes of inhabitants living in the vicinity of railroads on the matter of trespassing on the railway

Abstract

Trespassing on the railway is a very frequent behavior in the Czech Republic, resulting in approximately 200 deaths annually caused by train-person collisions. This paper studies the attitudes of citizens living near railways and in the immediate vicinity of one of the many illegal shortcuts. The objective of the survey was primarily to acquire information about factors contributing to decisions by various groups of residents to use or not to use an illegal shortcut. This information may be taken as a basis for implementing preventive measures, and in particular those of an awareness-raising character. The survey involved a total of 619 standardized face-to-face interviews conducted at 26 locations where an illegal shortcut occurs. Eighty-three percent of the respondents were aware that an illegal shortcut existed in the vicinity of their homes, and most were able also to describe its purpose, frequency of use, and typical users. Half of them use such shortcut themselves. The predominant reason for not using the shortcut was the absence of need, that is, it was not on their route (74%). Thirty-five percent perceived crossing the railway in the given spot as too dangerous, 7% as inconvenient, and 9% stated its illegality as the reason. Four percent of respondents who did not use the shortcut stated they feared being fined. Respondents who used the shortcut most frequently provided shortening a journey (85%) and habit (25%) as their reasons for doing so. Thirty percent of users feel worried when crossing - predominantly from fear of being hit by a train, less so because they might be fined. Answers to questions concerning general knowledge suggest the direction that awareness-raising should take. Almost 30% of the respondents believed they could cross the rails at practically any place so long as there was no sign with an explicit prohibition or a fence. Fifty-four percent considered crossing the rails to be safe if they look around first, and 70% claimed that a train can be heard well from far away. Estimates as to the numbers of victims of train-person collisions in the previous year were correct in 27% of the answers, while 53% of respondents estimated lower numbers and 20% estimated higher.