In 2005, the US required reflective markings on freight cars to improve visibility at crossings; nearly 1 in 4 crossing collisions involved vehicles hitting trains

At night, freight trains can easily go unnoticed, leading to numerous accidents at highway-rail crossings. To address this safety concern, federal regulators introduced mandatory reflective striping on freight cars and locomotives. The goal was to reduce the frequency of collisions between vehicles and trains at these crossings. While experts still discuss the regulations' impact, data shows a notable decrease in these incidents since the measures were enforced.