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Abstract
More than half of the fatal injuries on the railroads in the United States are sustained by
trespassers. The paper provides a statistical analysis of the demographics of trespassers, the
activities the trespassers were engaged in, and the causes of injury. It also analyzes trends over
time and between different parts of the country. The paper finds that the risks of injury and
death are particularly acute for males in their 20s and 30s. The total number of annual
casualties has remained relatively stable in recent decades because growing affluence, which
tends to reduce risk-taking behavior, has been balanced by increases in railroad activity and the
size of the population.