Most People Don’t Know The Country’s Most Dangerous Railroad Crossing Is Right Here In Arizona

Peril isn’t restricted to dark corners and treacherous hikes. You can actually find it in some of the places you least expect, including this dangerous railroad crossing in  Arizona. Don't be too afraid because there are tons of beautiful train rides in Arizona to take, but it's never a bad idea to be informed!

That’s right, railroad crossings; and it seems obvious when a massive locomotive is moving down a track, even at a snail’s pace.

But did you know the Federal Railroad Administration named one railroad crossing in Phoenix the most dangerous in the country?

In fact, the FRA notes that Arizona is home to the five most dangerous railroad crossings in America, all following Grand Avenue in Phoenix and Glendale.

Their criteria for labeling a crossing as "dangerous" is if it had at least 10 reported incidents of trains hitting vehicles (or vice versa) or hitting pedestrians within the past decade. In total, these five crossings have amounted to 89 incidents and 14 injuries but (thankfully) no fatalities in the last 10 years.

The most dangerous of these is located here at Thomas Road and 27th Avenue, with 24 incidents and two injuries.

In a 12 News interview with a railroad safety supervisor for the Arizona Corporation Commission, the causes of the incidents stemmed from outdated safety technologies.

Better timing for warning lights would help prevent drivers from stopping in the marked crossing areas or even on the tracks.

Thankfully, the city recently began working to improve these railroad crossings by making safety upgrades.

For the most dangerous location, this included moving safety gates and installing new signals. Upgrades on the other four crossings are underway as well.

If this story bummed you out a bit and you need some uplifting news, you'll be glad to know that Arizona’s Sky Harbor airport was named the best in the country back in 2016! So we do have some great transport in the copper state.

Have you ever seen something crazy happen on one of Arizona's railroads?