NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE
SAFETY AND SECURITY NEWSLETTER

SNAP SHOT

The most recent NTD data indicate that in 2003 the rates of major safety & security incidents held steady or declined for all major transit modes. Motor bus incidents appear to have dropped
off sharply late in the year, after remaining fairly constant. Light rail incidents increased from April’s low point of 14 to
a high of 44 in July, and then declined steadily back to 13 in December, while heavy rail incidents remained essentially constant throughout 2003. Due to the reporting lag of a few months as transit agencies update or correct incident reports, data for the last few months of 2003 may change.

How FTA Uses NTD Safety & Security Data: Understanding Houston LRT Collisions

NTD data can help us understand transit safety incidents, and help us sort out actual versus perceived safety problems. One recent example of this is Houston, where the transit agency (Harris County Metropolitan Transportation or METRO) faces concerns about the safety of the new, 7.5-mile light rail line.

Houston’s new LRT system is one of several projects aimed at addressing the region’s congestion and air-quality problems. Unfortunately, there have been a number of widely publicized collisions between automobiles and light-rail vehicles. Local news media reports have implied that there may be safety deficiency with the LRT. The situation has become politicized and contentious, but the debate has occurred largely without the benefit of objective data. That’s where
the NTD can help.

From January through April 2004, the first four months of the Houston LRT’s revenue service, Houston news media reported 29 LRT collisions with motor vehicles. Simply tallying up collisions does not tell the whole story, however.

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