Rail Safety Month reminds us that the choices we make near tracks and trains matter. In September, partners and volunteers across California helped bring that message to their communities through education, outreach, and conversations.
Now it’s October. The events may be over, but people are still crossing tracks on their way to school, work, and home. How do we keep Rail Safety Month going? By carrying what we learned into what we do next.
That starts with safer everyday habits, grows when we share them with others, and continues when we support the education that makes those choices possible.
Build on What Our Partners and Volunteers Started
First, we want to thank the people who made September’s outreach possible.
Our Partners Opened Doors
To our railroad and transit partners, law enforcement agencies, schools, school transportation teams, and community organizations: thank you for making rail safety part of the communities you serve. Your expertise, resources, outreach, and shared messages helped connect people with information they can use to stay safe.
Our Volunteers Made It Personal
To our California Operation Lifesaver Volunteer Team: thank you for giving your time and knowledge to answer questions, lead presentations, and turn safety reminders into conversations. We appreciate your dedication throughout September, the summer outreach leading into Rail Safety Month, and the work you do all year.
Every person who heard a presentation or stopped at an outreach table now has something they can put into practice and pass along. That’s how this work continues beyond September.
Keep the Habits, Even When the Month Changes
A familiar crossing still deserves your full attention. So does a walk, bike ride, or drive that takes you near railroad tracks.
Highway-rail grade crossing collisions and pedestrian trespassing together account for more than 95% of all railroad fatalities, according to Federal Railroad Administration data shared by Operation Lifesaver, Inc. The reminders shared during September address these everyday risks:
- Give crossings your attention. Put away your phone, remove headphones, and look and listen for trains.
- Choose the safe route. Cross only at designated public crossings. Railroad tracks are never a shortcut, walking path, or backdrop for fall photos.
- Wait for the signals. Never go around lowered gates. Wait until the lights stop flashing and the gates are fully raised before crossing.
When you make these choices consistently, you also set an example for the people around you.
Turn One Reminder Into Five Conversations
Think of someone who wasn’t at a Rail Safety Month event. A family member, neighbor, or coworker may never have heard the information you now know.
Save Lives Tell 5 gives you a simple way to close that gap. Pledge to choose safety near tracks and trains, share rail safety information with at least five people, and ask them to tell five more.
Start with a situation they recognize: your teenager’s route to school, a friend’s photography plans, or the crossing on your coworker’s commute. A specific reminder is easier to remember and use.
Take the Save Lives Tell 5 pledge and start with your first person today.
Want to reach a larger group? Request a free rail safety presentation for your school, workplace, or community organization. You can also explore volunteering with CAOL to help bring education to more people throughout the year.
Help Keep Rail Safety Education Moving
If volunteering or hosting a presentation doesn’t fit your schedule, a donation is another way to help this work continue.
California Operation Lifesaver is an independent nonprofit dedicated to preventing collisions, injuries, and deaths through rail safety education and awareness. Your support helps sustain that mission and the work of bringing safety information to California communities.
Helping California lead in rail safety starts with making education a shared priority. A gift of any size is a way to support the people doing this work long after September ends.
Donate to support rail safety education in California.
Rail Safety Month gave us a reason to start the conversation. October gives us the chance to keep our commitment: practice what we learned, tell someone who needs to hear it, and help make the next conversation possible.
