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During the past three years, the most trespassing fatalities occurred in California and Texas, and 18 percent of all trespassing deaths nationwide were suicides, according to a recent Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) report.

Entitled "Rail-Trespasser Fatalities: Developing Demographic Profiles," the report provides a state-by-state breakdown of trespassing deaths, which account for the largest number of rail-related fatalities (about 500 annually). Based on three years of reported trespasser fatalities from surveyed medical examiners and coroners, the report shows the average trespasser is a 38-year-old Caucasian male under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, with a median household income of $36,000.

The FRA recommends that additional demographic data be analyzed to "reinforce and expand upon" report results, and help develop "targeted educational and outreach programs and law enforcement initiatives to reduce the number of rail trespassing incidents," the agency said.