Mitigation Strategies for Deterring Transit Assaults

The transit industry is facing a growing problem in terms of the number of assaults on many transit systems throughout the United States. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Division C – Transit, Sec. 30001) recently redefined assault on a transit worker to mean a circumstance in which an individual knowingly, without lawful authority or permission, and with intent to endanger the safety of any individual or with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life, interferes with, disables, or incapacitates a transit worker while the transit worker is performing their duties. An analysis of the National Transit Database (NTD) Safety and Security data reveals that between 2008 and 2020, assaults accounted for 12 percent of all transit safety and security events, and more than 9 percent of all transit injuries. Furthermore, assault injuries have increased an average of 80 injuries per year since 2008. While there have been improvements in guidelines to reduce transit vehicle operator assaults, most assault-related injuries are sustained by transit vehicle riders and people waiting for or leaving a transit vehicle or facility. This reveals an issue that will require comprehensive mitigation measures beyond those being implemented to reduce operator assaults. This research project looks at spontaneous physical and nonphysical assaults, which might include passenger-on-passenger incidents, passenger-on-transit worker incidents, assaults by juveniles, reactions to verbal comments, behavior-related incidents, domestic violence, etc. The objective of this research is to produce a guide with strategies to reduce the number of assaults on public transit vehicles or property. The guide may include risk mitigation strategies targeting the offender, the victim, and the environment. The guide should include risk mitigation strategies that can be implemented by different transit modes and systems of varying size, including urban, suburban, and rural.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5255

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $250000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project A-48

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Garcia-Colberg, Mariela

• Performing Organizations:

  Texas Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Principal Investigators:

  Hudson, Joan

• Start Date: 20230118
• Expected Completion Date: 20250317
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Prevention; Public transit; Risk management; Transit safety; Violent crimes
• Subject Areas: Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01789437
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project A-48
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 23 2021 6:53PM