Georgia Operation Lifesaver: Safety Tips

Operation Lifesaver Driving Tips

Never drive around lowered gates – it's illegal and deadly. If you suspect a signal is malfunctioning, call the 1-800 number posted on or near the crossing signal or your local law enforcement agency.
Never race a train to the crossing – even if you tie, you lose.
Do not get trapped on the tracks. Only proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
If your vehicle stalls on a crossing, immediately get everyone out and far away from the tracks. Call your local law enforcement agency for assistance. Look for a 1-800 emergency notification number nearby to contact the railroad.
At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching in either direction.
ALWAYS EXPECT A TRAIN! Freight trains do not follow set schedules.
Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a freight train moving at 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to stop once the emergency brakes are applied. That's 18 football fields!
Do not be fooled by the optical illusion the train you see is closer and faster moving than you think. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by before you proceed across the tracks.

Track Facts & Tips

Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are private property. Walking or playing on them is illegal trespassers are subject to arrest and fines. Too often the penalty is death.
There are 200,000 miles of railroad tracks in the United States.
Since 1994, almost 5,500 people have been killed while trespassing on railroad rights-of-way and property.
Trains cannot stop quickly. A freight train moving at 55 miles per hour, or an 8-car passenger train moving at 79 miles per hour, can take a mile or more to stop.
DO NOT walk, run, cycle or operate all terrain vehicles (ATVs) on railroad tracks or rights-of-way or through tunnels.
Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. Observe and obey all warning signs and signals.
DO NOT hunt, fish or bungee jump from railroad trestles. They are not designed to be sidewalks or pedestrian bridges there is only enough clearance on the tracks for a train to pass.
DO NOT attempt to hop aboard railroad equipment at any time. A slip of the foot can cost you a limb, or your life.
ALWAYS EXPECT A TRAIN! Freight trains DO NOT follow set schedules.
REMEMBER: rails and recreation DO NOT mix!

Highway-rail Facts

Preliminary 2006 Statistics*

In 2007, at least 339 people were killed and nearly 1000 were seriously injured in 2,728 highway-rail grade crossing collisions in the nation
At least 486 people were killed and 400 were injured while trespassing on railroad rights-of-way and property.
Approximately every two hours, either a vehicle or a pedestrian is struck by a train in the United States. That's 12 incidents each day!
A motorist is 20 times more likely to die in a crash involving a train than in a collision involving another motor vehicle.
There are approximately 227,000 public, private and pedestrian at-grade highway-rail crossings in the United States (140,000 public and 87,000 private).
More people die in highway-rail grade crossing crashes in the United States each year than in all commercial and general aviation crashes combined.
Nearly 50 percent of vehicle/train collisions occur at crossings with active warning devices (gates, lights, bells).
Most crashes occur within 25 miles of the motorist's home.
Trains CANNOT stop quickly.

Average freight train stopping distance:
55 mph = a mile or more or 18 football fields!

8-car passenger train stopping distance:
79 mph = a mile or more or 18 football fields!

The majority of highway-rail crashes occur when the train is traveling less than 30 mph.
Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are private property. Walking or playing on them is illegal – trespassers are subject to arrest and fines. Too often the penalty is death.

*Source Federal Railroad Administration preliminary statistics for 2007 (as of March 2008)

Operation Lifesaver is a national, non-profit public education program dedicated to ending collisions deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights-of-way. For more information, and to obtain statistics, contact your state coordinator or check with our National Support Center at Operation Lifesaver, Inc.

http://www.oli.org

GEORGIA OPERATION LIFESAVER
P.O. Box 76526
Atlanta, GA 30358
Phone: 770-393-2711 Fax: 770-393-3751
gaol@mindspring.com

Last Modified: June 1, 2008

Click Here to view dramatic television safety messages from Operation Lifesaver, Inc

Support from these partners helps us broadcast safety messages on television stations in Georgia: