Scott Gabree, PhD, received the Future Generations Award from the DuPage Railroad Safety Council in September 2018 for his work in railroad safety research. Gabree is an engineering research psychologist in the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s Transportation Human Factors Division.
The Future Generations Award recognizes contributions to railroad safety that are forward thinking and aim to inspire younger generations to continue to pursue rail safety initiatives.
“It was an honor to be recognized,” said Gabree.
This award commended Gabree’s rail suicide prevention work. Gabree and his Volpe Center team are working with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and with rail carriers from around the world to examine why rail suicides occur, and identify and implement ways to prevent them.
“It’s meaningful work,” said Gabree, noting that suicide wasn’t addressed on a broad scale in the rail industry until very recently. “It’s a hard problem that is addressable.”
Addressing rail suicide: 6 key research areas
FRA has long focused on safety improvements to reduce grade crossing and trespass deaths, but suicide was not historically considered alongside those efforts. However, in 2011, FRA began systematically collecting suicide data from U.S. rail carriers and actively participating in suicide prevention efforts and studies.
Over the past decade, research from rail suicide prevention experts in Europe, Canada, and Australia has illuminated strategies that can reduce rail suicides.
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