Análise de fatores que contribuem para a ocorrência de acidentes ferroviários envolvendo pedestres em travessias urbanas no Brasil

Abstract

Pedestrian fatalities in train collisions are a public safety concern for governments around the world. The presence of railroads in cities often represents a barrier to urban movement and railroad collisions happen when the population needs to travel along or through this infrastructure, without the necessary safety conditions. International statistics show that road accidents have become responsible for most of the fatalities related to this mode of transport in recent times. In addition to incalculable human and social damage, rail accidents generate significant financial losses and inefficiency for rail transport. Even so, pedestrians have not received as much attention in the literature on level crossing safety risks as drivers, despite the growing interest in more recent studies. In this context, this research aims to describe the current status of road accidents in Brazil and identify factors that may contribute to their occurrence and severity. To do so, initially, an exploratory study was carried out on information on railway accidents from the Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres - ANTT and on information on fatalities caused by these events, obtained from the Mortality Information System - SIM, of the Ministry of Health. Such information revealed the severity of rail accidents in the country and allowed characterizing the profile of the main fatal victims. Based on these results, a case study was carried out on a rail section of critical accident, where it was possible to demonstrate, by various statistical methods (Person, Tobit and MQO), the influence of some environmental factors on the occurrence of railroad collisions. The use of measures to ensure pedestrian safety at railway crossings requires an understanding of the magnitude of road accidents in the local context and the risk factors associated with them. Thus, the results achieved can contribute in this sense.