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The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently collaborated with various government, labor and industry stakeholders to develop "model" state legislation designed to strengthen penalties for motorists who violate state traffic safety laws governing grade crossings.

“If enacted by the states, the law elevates certain traffic violations to misdemeanors and felonies if a motorist commits illegal activities at grade crossings, such as driving through, around or under a crossing gate or barrier,” FRA officials said in a news brief issued on Friday. “The model law also proposes a penalty schedule based on whether there were passengers in a vehicle and if the violations resulted in bodily injury or death to other persons.”

Last year, accidents at some of the nation’s 138,000 public crossings caused 260 fatalities and 845 injuries, according to the FRA. Development of the model state legislation was required by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.