5 Rail Safety Tips for Winter Travel from Operation Lifesaver
WASHINGTON, DC, December 21, 2010 – Operation Lifesaver (www.oli.org), the rail safety education nonprofit organization, is offering motorists and pedestrians five safety tips to ensure a safe and happy holiday season.
“We’re providing these rail safety tips for winter travel to remind drivers and pedestrians of the need for caution around tracks and trains,” said Helen Sramek, president, Operation Lifesaver, Inc. “Our number one safety tip: Always Expect a Train.”
While highway-rail grade crossing collisions and pedestrian-train incidents have been reduced significantly in the nearly four decades Operation Lifesaver has been making safety presentations across the U.S., there is still work to be done. Preliminary Federal Railroad Administration statistics for the first nine months of 2010 show that vehicle-train collisions are up three percent and pedestrian rail casualties are up six percent from 2009, Sramek noted.
To schedule a free Operation Lifesaver safety presentation or for information about becoming a volunteer, contact your state coordinator through the web site or call the national office at 1-800-537-6224.
5 Rail Safety Tips for Winter Travel
1. Always expect a train at any crossing, at any time.
2. Slow down. Reduce speeds, as snow or icy conditions increase stopping distances.
3. Focus your attention. Hang up your phone, remove earphones, turn down music, and don’t text message while driving or walking near tracks.
4. Look and listen for the train. Snow can muffle the sound of an approaching train.
5. Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear it without stopping.
About Operation Lifesaver
Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is a national, non-profit safety education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way. Operation Lifesaver has programs in all 50 states, with trained and certified presenters who provide free safety talks to community groups, school bus drivers, professional truck drivers and student drivers to raise awareness around railroad tracks and trains. For more information, visit www.oli.org.
###
