Mapping Train Hazmat Accident Data

The Center for Effective Government has released an interactive map of the U.S. that displays the location and details of freight train derailments and other rail accidents involving toxic chemicals from 1991 through 2012. “Public officials, first responders, and citizens have a right to know when toxic chemicals are moving through their communities,” says Katherine McFate, CEO of the government watchdog group. The center also released data showing the total number of annual freight train accidents that involved toxic substances, as well as resulting fatalities, injuries, and damages. Over the past 21 years, 1992 had the highest number of rail accidents involving toxic substances (257), and the number of accidents has generally declined after that high. Since 2003, fewer than 100 accidents have occurred each year. Only six fatalities have resulted from freight train crashes involving toxic chemicals over the past decade, but four of those deaths occurred in 2012.