Editing Light rail (section)

==Effects==
===Safety===
An analysis of data from the 505-page National Transportation Statistics report<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=National Transportation Statistics 2013|url=http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/NTS_Entire_13Q4.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation|access-date=24 February 2016|archive-date=25 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525173222/https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/NTS_Entire_13Q4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> published by the US Department of Transportation shows that light rail fatalities are higher than all other forms of transportation except motorcycle travel (31.5 fatalities per 100&nbsp;million miles).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15110194/howre-ya-dying-fatality-data-from-various-types-of-transportation-feature|title=Dissected: Charting transportation mayhem in its many gory varieties.|first=Jeff|last=Sabatini|date=25 April 2014|website=Car and Driver}}</ref>

However, the National Transportation Statistics report published by the US Department of Transportation states that:<ref name="auto1"/><blockquote>Caution must be exercised in comparing fatalities across modes because significantly different definitions are used. In particular, Rail and Transit fatalities include incident-related (as distinct from accident-related) fatalities, such as fatalities from falls in transit stations or railroad employee fatalities from a fire in a workshed. Equivalent fatalities for the Air and Highway modes (fatalities at airports not caused by moving aircraft or fatalities from accidents in automobile repair shops) are not counted toward the totals for these modes. Thus, fatalities not necessarily directly related to in-service transportation are counted for the transit and rail modes, potentially overstating the risk for these modes.</blockquote>

===Health impact===
{{Main|Health impact of light rail systems}}Studies have attributed light rail with a number of health impacts. Research has associated light rail positively with increased walking and decreased obesity.<ref>Edwards, R. D. (2008). "[[Public transit]], obesity, and medical costs: Assessing the magnitudes". ''Preventative Medicine'', 46, 14–21.</ref><ref>MacDonald, J. M., Stokes, R. J., Cohen, D. A., Kofner, A., and Ridgeway, G. K. (2010). "The effect of light rail transit on body mass index and physical activity". ''American Journal of Preventive Medicine'', 39(2), 105–112.</ref> Additionally, one electric light rail train produces nearly 99 percent less [[carbon monoxide]] and hydrocarbon emissions per mile than one automobile does.<ref>American Public Transit Association. (1993) Transit Fact Book, Washington, D.C. 104.</ref>