Recently, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced the installation of electronic signs in Lakeland designed to reduce traffic delays caused by passing trains. The activation of the signs is set to happen sometime during the month of March.

When the rail crossing arms go down in downtown Lakeland, the signs will light up, alert drivers of an oncoming train, and suggest an alternate route for them to take. In the future, more advanced signs may also anticipate wait times based on the speed and length of oncoming trains.

In addition to being good news for commuters who are fed up with waiting at rail crossings, this change could also have a positive impact on road safety. One of the biggest safety hazards pertaining to traveling near train tracks is impatient drivers who decide to drive around downed crossing arms in an attempt to beat a train.

Florida has already seen multiple dangerous incidents caused by this behavior. Two men were severely injured in Callahan on Nov. 17, 2018 after driving a car around downed crossing arms and being struck by an oncoming 16-car passenger train.  More recently, a man in Sebastian was seriously injured on Feb. 8 after he failed to stop at activated crossing lights and arms and his vehicle was struck by a car. While the vehicle passengers in these particular incidents survived, this is frequently not the case.

Oftentimes, a driver’s decision to make this dangerous maneuver is caused by combination of their impatience with the wait time and miscalculation of how much time they have cross the tracks before the train arrives. With the installation of these lights, drivers will have the option to avoid the intersection altogether, eliminating the temptation to sneak around lowered rail crossing arms. As of now, however, only time will tell whether or not this congestion-reduction method will provide Lakeland residents with the added bonus of reducing unsafe driving near railroad tracks.