State Actions For Employing Transportation Risk Assessments and Crossing Knowledge Strategies Act

The State Actions For Employing Transportation Risk Assessments and Crossing Knowledge Strategies Act (SAFE TRACKS Act) would amend title 49, United States Code to require continued periodic reporting on highway-rail grade crossing safety. A new report element would require states to describe how they will collaborate with stakeholders—specifically railroads operating within the state—to reduce pedestrian fatalities along railroad rights-of-way, including suicides, in consultation with mental health and law enforcement agencies and entities. The bill also changes the reporting cadence, inserting that reports should be submitted every five years thereafter. In short, the bill formalizes ongoing federal/state reporting on crossing safety and explicitly emphasizes stakeholder collaboration and suicide-prevention considerations near rail corridors. Potential impact: The measure would reinforce ongoing oversight of highway-rail grade crossing safety and institutionalize cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration (railroads, mental health, law enforcement) to address pedestrian fatalities and suicides near rail lines. It may increase state planning requirements and data-sharing efforts, with a long-term aim of improving safety outcomes along railroad rights-of-way. The bill does not specify new funding or programs, focusing instead on reporting requirements and stakeholder engagement.