Federal agencies Rail Transportation

New rail-crossing safety campaign aimed at male drivers

Stop trains can't logo

Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation

Washington – A new Department of Transportation railroad crossing safety ad campaign is aimed at male motorists in the states that have the nation’s 15 most dangerous crossings, as well as those that experienced 75 percent of crossing incidents in 2015.

Stop! Trains Can’t targets men 18 to 49 years old. The 30-second ad will air in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

“This is an old problem, but one that can be solved,” Sarah Feinberg, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration – a campaign partner – said in the release. “Nearly all deaths at crossings are preventable. The message of this ad has a clear, lifesaving message: Stop, because trains can’t.”

According to a press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, another partner in the campaign, 232 people died in railroad crossing incidents in 2016. A total of 264 deaths occurred in 2014, which represented a spike following years of decline since the 369 deaths reported to the Federal Railroad Administration in 2006.

Trains have the right of way by law, NHTSA states in the release, and freight trains traveling at 55 mph require about a mile to stop, even with the emergency brake engaged.

“Too many people are still taking unnecessary risks and needlessly paying with their lives,” former Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in the release. “These deaths are preventable, and this ad campaign is a reminder for everyone that ignoring signage at railroad crossings or attempting to race or beat a train can have deadly consequences.”

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Horsewaggled
February 2, 2017
Things a real Operation Lifesaver would ask!!! 1. Why are all OL directors handpuppets of the railroad or government only giving lip service safety messages? 2. Why nothing is ever mentioned by OL that would cost the railroads a penny on the obviously missing safety equipment and track maintenance work? 3. Where are the crossing safety signals for the trains going too fast with no brakes or steering at 1,000s of crossings? 4. Where are the track video monitors for the trains going too fast with no brakes or steering to get the train stopped IN TIME? 5. Why aren't railroads paying at least half for crossing signals because it's their trains going too fast with no brakes or steering while paying the so-called RR directors millions a year. 6. Why the crossing humps trapping big trucks aren't required to be removed? 7. Why the crossing surfaces aren't wider where if a vehicle fish tails on slick road and is trapped at the edge of the crossing surface trap? 8. Why the train cabs aren't required to be lit up like a Christmas tree with emergency vehicle light bars? LOOK AND SEE!! 9. Why the front of trains aren't required to have air bags or something to soften impacts? 10. Why trains don't have better braking systems? OLIs message now shows train brakes obviously suck. 11. Why there are no bidding invitations on the obviously overcharged crossing projects the tax-payers pay the railroads for. $10,000 just to get the equipment to the sight. TRUCKED IN. 12. Why trains are allowed to run in the fog? 13. Why the crossings aren't lit up so drivers can see the black rail cars across the tracks at night? 14. Why railroads remove and steal signals we paid for on closed re-worked crossings? 15. Why $$$millions$$$ of the rail safety budget we pay in is wasted on needless reworks at crossings preventing signals where needed? 16. Why the railroad isn't required to de-ice crossings before they roll the trains? 17. Why the railroad isn't required to raise their overpasses so big trucks can get under them? The railroad wants to double stack and our road overpasses are too low---no problem WE PAY MILLIONS. 18. Why drug/alcohol tests aren't done on rail crews at crossing/pedestrian collisions? 19. Why railroads are allowed to get off with the train black box , signal black box (if crossing signals are present), and cab video at crossing/pedestrian collisions? 20. Why the fact is hidden that trains kill like 100 people in 100 million train miles when regular drivers have like ONE death? Amtrak over 350 killed. 21.Why Amtrak passengers aren't required to look at the despicable shape of the crossings before they board the trains? 22.Why train horns aren't blown at private crossings till the last second freezing drivers? 23.Why the railroads track lights can't be at a crossing? 24 .Why railroads need track lights and civilians don't? 25. Why trains can be at the same crossing at the same time blocking view? WAITING FOR OLI/OLI.CA response.

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Battles
February 3, 2017
Not the railroads responsibility. That's like blaming a driver or the state for some idiot running on to a freeway. Most of those questions you asked are laughable. Short answer to most, if not all, of them; Trains were here first. The public is GRANTED the PRIVILEGE of CROSSING THE TRACKS (roads cross tracks, talus don't cross roads) at grade and the public is expect to follow all laws associated with said PRIVILEGE. Stop. Look. Listen. Live.