Operation Lifesaver and NOYS Promote Rail and Transit Safety for Youth at National Conference
SAN DIEGO — Noting the spike in national transit and rail ridership figures, Joyce Rose, Operation Lifesaver’s (OLI) president and CEO, told attendees of the 2013 National Association of Women Highway Safety Leaders (NAWHSL) Conference that Operation Lifesaver is committed to educating more youth about how to safely interact with transit and railroad crossings.
Rose, along with Lindsay Colcombe, program manager for National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), presented a joint session at the conference. NAWHSL convenes highway safety delegates appointed by their governors to serve as traffic safety liaisons and resource professionals to promote safe traffic behavior and advocate for programs that help reduce crashes and injuries.
“We know that safety habits start young,” said Rose. “Through our partnership with the Federal Transit Administration, we’ve recently awarded funds to eight projects directly aimed at creatively engaging young people with safety messages as they ride on transit systems and cross railroad tracks.”
Earlier this year, OLI also awarded 12 grants to state Operation Lifesaver programs, many of which were for projects aimed at youth. All of the awards cover rail safety projects, such as billboards, social media ads, mentoring programs and public services announcements.
NOYS operates the Teen Roadway Safety Advocates program, which helps students view roadways and transit from a safety perspective. The organization also sponsors an annual traffic safety contest.
At the NAWHSL closing banquet, the director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Harris Blackwood, bestowed the office's first-ever Georgia Highway Safety Champion award to Jennie Glasgow, state coordinator for Georgia Operator Lifesaver and NAWSHL’s first vice president. Other inaugural awardees included David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“I was totally surprised by the award,” said Glasgow. “It was an amazing honor.”
“Champion is the right word to describe Jennie,” said Rose. “She is absolutely tireless when it comes to promoting safety in all its forms and has been a pillar in the Operation Lifesaver community. We’re very proud of her.”
OLI and NOYS will continue to partner on traffic and rail safety initiatives aimed at youth. NOYS uses the slogan, “Don’t do anything about us without us!” Youth are involved in developing and carrying out all NOYS programs. OLI embodies that same volunteer spirit and actively seeks high school and college students to become Operation Lifesaver Authorized Volunteers.
To volunteer for Operation Lifesaver, earn community service hours and be ambassadors for rail and transit safety, visit: oli.org/training/volunteer-for-oli.
About Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
Operation Lifesaver's mission is to end collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights of way. A national network of trained volunteers provides free presentations on rail safety. Learn more at http://www.oli.org; follow OLI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagramand Pinterest.
