Head-on collision
Encyclopedia
 |
 |
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision
Side collision
Side collisions are vehicle crashes where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes often occur at intersections, in parking lots, when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway, or when a vehicle hits a fixed object....
or rear-end collision
Rear-end collision
A rear-end collision is a traffic accident wherein a vehicle crashes into the vehicle in front of it, usually caused by tailgating or panic stops...
.
Rail transport
With rail, a head-on collision often implies a collision on a single lineSingle track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
railway. This usually means that at least one of the trains has passed a signal at danger
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...
, or that a signalman has made a major error. Head-on collisions may also occur at junctions, for similar reasons.
With railways, the distance required for a train to stop is usually greater than the distance that can be sighted before the next blind curve, which is why signals and safeworking systems are so important.
In U.S. railroad jargon, this type of collision is called a cornfield meet.
Accidents
Note: if the collision occurs at a station or junction, or trains are travelling in the same direction, then the accident is not a pure head-on collision.August 11, 1837 — Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
August 12, 1853 — Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
— 30 killed. September 10, 1874 — Norwich Thorpe, Norfolk
Thorpe rail accident
The Thorpe rail accident occurred on 10 September 1874, when two trains were in head-on collision at Thorpe St Andrew in the English county of Norfolk....
, England — telegraph clerk's error; 25 killed August 7, 1876 — Radstock rail accident
Radstock rail accident
The Radstock rail accident took place on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in south west England, on 7 August 1876. Two trains collided on a single track section, resulting in fifteen passengers being killed....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England — catalogue of errors through mismanagement; 15 killed 1892 — Lander, California February 9, 1904 — Sand Point, Ontario
Sand Point, Ontario
Sand Point is a community in the township of McNab/Braeside, Ontario, Canada, along the Ottawa River, roughly six miles to the west of Arnprior on the River Road...
— 15 killed. September 24, 1904 — Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown is a city in, and the county seat of, Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 29,137 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen and Jefferson counties...
— 113 killed. September 15, 1907, Canaan, New Hampshire
Canaan, New Hampshire
Canaan is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,909 at the 2010 census. It is the location of Mascoma State Forest...
April 12, 1909 — Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
train runs past a meet point. June 19, 1909 — Shadyside, Indiana train runs past a meet point. July 5, 1912 — Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Ligonier is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2000 census. Ligonier was settled in the 1760s. The borough is well known for nearby Idlewild Park, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country, and nearby Seven Springs Mountain Resort...
— 26 killed July 9, 1918 — Great train wreck of 1918
Great train wreck of 1918
The Great Train Wreck of 1918 occurred on July 9, 1918, in Nashville, Tennessee. Two passenger trains, operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway , collided head-on, killing 101 people and injuring an additional 171. It is considered the deadliest rail accident in United States...
, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
— 101 killed. January 26, 1921 — Abermule train collision
Abermule train collision
The Abermule train collision was a head-on collision which occurred at Abermule, Montgomeryshire, Wales on 26 January 1921, killing 17 people. The crash arose from misunderstandings between staff which effectively over-rode the safe operation of the Electric Train Tablet system protecting the...
, Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
— failure to observe proper procedures; 17 killed. December 5, 1921 — Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Bryn Athyn is a home rule municipality, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was formerly a borough, and its official name remains "Borough of Bryn Athyn". The population was 1,375 at the 2010 census...
— 27 killed. March 12, 1928 — Katukurunda, Sri Lankan— 28 killed. March 15, 1957 — near Kuurila, Finland — 28 killed. November 16, 1960 — Stéblová train disaster
Stéblová train disaster
The Stéblová train disaster was a railway accident that occurred on November 14, 1960 at 4:45 CET in Stéblová in North-Eastern Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. A passenger steam train collided with a diesel railcar at full speed during their departure...
, Czechoslovakia: 118 killed. 1969 — Violet Town railway disaster
Violet Town railway disaster
The Violet Town rail accident, also known as the Southern Aurora disaster, was a railway accident that occurred on 7 February 1969 near the McDiarmids Road crossing, approximately 1 km south of Violet Town, Victoria, Australia.-Overview:...
, Australia — dead driver drives through crossing loop; no ATP; 9 killed. May 27, 1971 — Radevormwald
Radevormwald
Radevormwald is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the oldest towns in the Bergischen Land, formerly the County and Duchy of Berg.-Geography:Radevormwald is located about 50 km east of Cologne...
, Germany — A freight train and a passenger train crashed into each other. 46 killed.
Dahlerau train disaster
The Dahlerau train disaster was a severe railway accident that took place on May 27, 1971 in Dahlerau, a small town belonging to Radevormwald in then-West Germany, in which a freight train and a passenger train crashed into each other. 46 people perished in the accident, of whom 41 were senior year...
July 25, 1980 — Winsum
Winsum
Winsum is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.The town of Winsum was officially established in 1057 as the fusion of three historic villages: Obergum , Winsum and Bellingeweer...
, The Netherlands: Two trains collide on a single track between Groningen and Roodeschool resulting in 9 deaths. Not clear if accident "head-on". January 27, 1982 — A freight train and an express passenger train collide head-on in heavy fog near Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, India, killing 50. January 21, 1985 — Gary
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, Indiana — two South Shore Line trains collide head-on, 85 injured. February 8, 1986 — Hinton train collision
Hinton train collision
The Hinton train collision was a railway accident that occurred on February 8, 1986. Twenty-three people were killed in a collision between a Canadian National Railway freight train and a Via Rail passenger train. It was the most lethal Canadian rail disaster since the Dugald accident of 1947...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
— freight train passed red light due to sleeping crew; 23 killed. 1989/1991 — Glasgow Bellgrove
Glasgow Bellgrove rail crash
On 6 March 1989 two Class 303 commuter trains crashed on the Springburn branch of the North Clyde Line, just east of Bellgrove station in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland...
and Newton, Scotland — both SPAD
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...
’s with track layout at single lead junctions a major contributory factor 1994 — Cowden rail crash
Cowden rail crash
The Cowden rail crash occurred on 15 October 1994, around 350 metres southeast of Cowden Station in the English county of Kent. There was a head-on collision between two trains in heavy fog after the driver of a northbound train ran past a red signal and entered a single line section.Five people...
, England. January 14, 1996 — Hines Hill train collision
Hines Hill train collision
The Hines Hill train collision occurred on the Eastern Goldfields Railway on 14 January 1996 at Hines Hill, Western Australia. Two trains entered a crossing loop simultaneously in opposing directions, although signals at the exit from the crossing loop were correctly showing red for...
, Australia — Signal Passed At Danger
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...
at a crossing loop causes a head-on collision May 1, 1997 — Hornbækbanen
Hornbækbanen
Hornbækbanen is a local passenger railway north of Copenhagen in Denmark, part of the Lokalbanen system. It runs along the coast of Øresund between Helsingør and Gilleleje, through an area with many holiday homes. The name Hornbækbanen refers to the town Hornbæk about halfway between Helsingør and...
, Denmark: Two trains collide frontally after one passed a red signal leaving Firhøj station. Both drivers are killed. August 12, 1998 – 1998 Suonenjoki rail collision, Finland – A southbound InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
train leaves Suonenjoki
Suonenjoki
Suonenjoki is a town and municipality of Finland.Suonenjoki is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
through a red signal and collides with a northbound freight train. August 2, 1999 — Gauhati rail disaster — Two express trains collide head-on in. Over 285 people are killed. October 20, 1999 — Waihapi, New Zealand — Two freight trains collide head-on after a misunderstanding of track warrant
Track warrant
Track warrants are systematized permissions used on some railroad lines to authorize a train's use of the main line. Dispatchers issue these permissions to train crews instead of using signals. The crews receive track warrants by radio, phone, or electronic transmission from a...
conditions by both drivers — one driver killed, one driver seriously injured. January 4, 2000 — Åsta accident
Åsta accident
The Åsta accident was a railway accident that occurred at 13:12:25 on 4 January 2000 at Åsta in Åmot, south of Rena in Østerdalen, Norway. A train from Trondheim collided with a local train from Hamar on Rørosbanen resulting in an explosive fire...
, Åsta
Åsta
Åsta is a village in Åmot municipality, Norway. It is located seven kilometres south of the municipality centre Rena in close proximity to the Glomma river....
in Åmot
Åmot
Åmot is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rena...
, Norway — Two diesel passenger trains collide on the Rørosbanen
Rørosbanen
The Røros Line is a long railway line in Norway running between the towns of Hamar and Støren via Elverum and Røros. It connects to the Dovre Line at Hamar to Oslo and at Støren to Trondheim. The narrow gauge line was opened in 1877, running between Hamar and Trondheim, a total of...
killing 19. The fire after the collision lasts nearly six hours. September 9, 2002 — Bad Münder
Bad Münder
Bad Münder is a town in the Hamelin-Pyrmont district, in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated on the south side the Deister hills, approximatively 15 km northeast of Hamelin.- References :...
, Germany — Two freight trains collide head-on after a brake failure. March 20, 2003 — Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, The Netherlands — A NS passenger train collides head-on with a freight train; July 1, 2006 — Roslyn, Pennsylvania
Roslyn, Pennsylvania
Roslyn is an unincorporated community in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally called Hillside, the name Roslyn came from rose gardens that once grew there....
— 30 injured. August 27, 2006 — head-on collision between passenger and freight trains 30 km south of Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
— 5 killed.
October 11, 2006 — 2006 Zoufftgen rail crash2006 Zoufftgen rail crash
The 2006 Zoufftgen train collision occurred around 11.45 am on 11 October 2006, near Zoufftgen, Moselle, France, some 20 metres from the border with Luxembourg, on the Metz – Zoufftgen line. Two trains collided head-on while one track of a double track line was out of service for maintenance...
- head-on collision at Zoufftgen
Zoufftgen
Zoufftgen is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.As at 1999 its population was 608.-2006 rail crash:On the morning of 11 October 2006 a passenger train and a goods train collided head-on, killing six people....
, on the border between France and Luxembourg September 12, 2008 - 2008 Chatsworth train collision
2008 Chatsworth train collision
The Chatsworth train collision occurred at 16:22 PDT on Friday September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States...
- head-on collision in Los Angeles - 25 killed, 135 injured June 22, 2009 - June 22, 2009 Washington Metro train collision - head-on collision between two trains. - 9 killed, 80 injured February 15, 2010 - Halle train collision
Halle train collision
The Halle train collision was a collision between two trains in Buizingen, in the Belgian municipality of Halle, Flemish Brabant, on 15 February 2010. It was Belgium's worst rail disaster in over fifty years....
- head-on collision between two trains near Brussels, Belgium - 18 killed, 125 injured (estimates) December 23, 2010 - head-on train collision in Aegviidu
Aegviidu
Aegviidu is a borough in northern Estonia. Administratively it constitutes Aegviidu Parish — a rural municipality within Harju County. The municipality has a population of 873 and covers an area of...
, Estonia between a passenger train and a freight train. Passenger train driver killed, two in freight train injured.
Sea transport
With shipping, there are two main factors influencing the chance of a head-on collision. Firstly, even with radarRadar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and radio, it is difficult to tell what course the opposing ships are following. Secondly, big ships have so much momentum
Momentum
In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...
, that it is very hard to change course at the last moment.
Road transport
Relative velocity
In non-relativistic kinematics, relative velocity is the vector difference between the velocities of two objects, as evaluated in terms of a single coordinate system....
of vehicles traveling in opposite directions is high. It was previously thought that a head-on crash between two vehicles traveling at 50 mph is roughly equivalent to a vehicle hitting a 'wall' (a stationary near-immovable object) at 100 mph. However, experimentation in 2010 showed that due to Newton's Third Law, the actual result of such a collision is equivalent to hitting a stationary near-immovable object at 50 mph
Head-on collisions, sideswipes, and run-off-road crashes all belong to a category of crashes called lane-departure or road-departure crashes. This is because they have similar causes, if different consequences. The driver of a vehicle fails to stay centered in their lane, and either leaves the roadway, or crosses the centerline, possibly resulting in a head-on or sideswipe collision, or, if the vehicle avoids oncoming traffic, a run-off-road crash on the far side of the road.
Preventive measures include traffic sign
Traffic sign
Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel...
s and road surface marking
Road surface marking
Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information. They can also be applied in other facilities used by vehicles to mark parking spaces or designate areas for other uses....
s to help guide drivers through curves, as well as separating opposing lanes of traffic with wide central reservation (or median) and median barriers to prevent crossover incidents. Median barriers are physical barriers between the lanes of traffic, such as concrete barriers or wire rope safety barrier
Wire Rope Safety barrier
Wire Rope Safety Barrier is a type of road safety barrier. It is also referred to as cable barrier, safety fence, or cable guardrail.-Common Specifications:-Common characteristics:...
. These are actually roadside hazards in their own right, but on high speed roads, the severity of a collision with a median barrier is usually lower than the severity of a head-on crash.
The European Road Assessment Programme
EuroRAP
European Road Assessment Programme is a non-profit road safety organisation which aims to reduce death and serious injury on Europe's roads...
's Road Protection Score (RPS) is based on a schedule of detailed road design elements that correspond to each of the four main crash types, including head-on collisions. The Head-on Crash element of the RPS measures how well traffic lanes are separated. Motorways generally have crash protection features in harmony with the high speeds allowed. The Star Rating results show that motorways generally score well with a typical 4-star rating even though their permitted speeds are the highest on the network. But results from Star Rating research in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have shown that there is a pressing need to find better median, run-off and junction protection at reasonable cost on single carriageway roads.
Another form of head-on crash is the wrong-way entry crash, where a driver on a surface road turns onto an off-ramp from a motorway or freeway, instead of the on-ramp. They can also happen on divided arterials if a driver turns into the wrong side of the road. Considerable importance is placed on designing ramp terminals and intersections to prevent these incidents. This often takes to form of special signage at freeway off-ramps to discourage drivers from going the wrong way. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used...
provides instruction on this signage installation in its Section 2E.50.
Sideswipe collisions
Sideswipe collisions are where the sides of two vehicles traveling in opposite directions touch. They differ from head-on collisions only in that the errant vehicle impacts the side of the other vehicle rather than the front. Severity is usually lower than a head-on collision, since it tends to be a glancing blow rather than a direct impact. However, loss of control of either vehicle can have unpredictable effects and secondary crashes can dramatically increase the expected crash severity.Sideswipe collisions are frequently caused by a failure to control a vehicle.