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effect" created by the body of the locomotive to indicate a lower sound level than would otherwise be expected several hundred feet in front of the locomotive (where the crossing and approaching motorists are located). The effect of these changes will reduce noise impacts for 3.4 million of the 9.3 million people currently affected by train horn noise. 3. Creation of quiet zones: The rule provides significant flexibility to communities to create quiet zones, both where there are existing whistle bans and in other communities that heretofore have had no opportunity to do so. The Final Rule permits implementation of quiet zones in low -risk locales without requiring the addition of safety improvements. ✓ This concept utilizes a risk index approach that estimates expected safety outcomes (that is, the likelihood of a fatal or non -fatal casualty resulting from a collision at a highway -rail crossing). ✓ Risk may be averaged over crossings in a proposed quiet zone. ✓ Average risk within the proposed quiet zone is then compared with the average nationwide risk at gated crossings where the horn is sounded (the "National Significant Risk Threshold" or "NSRT "). FRA will compute the NSRT annually. The effect of this approach is that horns can remain silenced in over half of Pre -Rule Quiet Zones without significant expense; and many New Quiet Zones can be created without significant expense where flashing lights and gates are already in place at the highway -rail grade crossings. If the risk index for a proposed New Quiet Zone exceeds the NSRT, then supplementary or alternative safety measures must be used to reduce that risk (to fully compensate for the absence of the train horn or to reduce risk below the NSRT). The Final Rule— Retains engineering solutions known as "supplementary safety measures" for use without FRA approval. ✓ Retains explicit flexibility for the modification of "supplementary safety measures" to receive credit as "alternative safety measures." For instance, Disclaimer: This is a summary of the Final Rule for initial briefing purposes only. Entities subject to the rule should refer to the rule text as published in the Federal Register on April 27, 2005.