Can Information Technology be a Substitute for Human Operators? Underlying Causes of Railroad Accidents in Europe

This study aims to find empirical evidence of the contribution of information technology (IT) adoption in enhancing transportation safety. We analyze train accidents that occurred in European countries between 1980 and 2014. The findings indicate that the adoption of IT leads to a lower number of accidents, thus improving safety. Specifically, countries with a high level of IT adoption for their track networks show fewer serious accidents than those with low IT adoption. However, serious accidents have not decreased over time, indicating a limited positive effect of IT adoption. In addition, serious accidents such as rolling stocks and people at crossings continue to occur. The results indicate that improvement in transportation safety leveraged by intangible IT must accompany the quality assurance of physical systems and activities in basic transportation services.