California operation lifesaver receives rail safety education grant
Sacramento, CA – June 15, 2015 – California Operation Lifesaver has been awarded a grant from Operation Lifesaver, Inc., (OLI) in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for anti-trespassing public education efforts as part of the nonprofit safety group’s ongoing “See Tracks? Think Train!” public awareness campaign. Federal statistics show that about every three hours, a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States.
California ranks number 1 nationally for pedestrian-trespass train incidents, with 154 trespass casualties that includes 101 deaths and 53 injuries in 2014.
The state program will use the funding to spread See Tracks? Think Train!” safety messages via various media and events in 5 key focus cities/counties statewide. These will include: radio ads,conducting community events, safety train events and rail safety enforcement blitzes. The goal is to raise awareness about the dangers near tracks and trains in California.
“This grant allows us to promote the “See Tracks? Think Train!” campaign and further our mission of eliminating collisions, injuries and deaths at crossings and along rail property,” said state coordinator Nancy Sheehan-McCulloch. “We are grateful to the Federal Railroad Administration for facilitating this much-needed effort to improve safety in our state.”
The grant was awarded through a competitive process with criteria that included the ability to leverage federal funds with private partnerships, targeted messaging, and the frequency of pedestrian-train incidents and highway-rail collisions in the state.
Operation Lifesaver offers these rail safety tips for drivers and pedestrians:
- Cross railroad tracks only at a public crossing—designated by lights, gates or crossbuck signs.
- Always yield to trains; you cannot accurately judge the distance and speed of an oncoming train.
- A train can appear on any track at any time – when you see tracks, think train!
- Walking on train tracks is not only dangerous, it is illegal.
About Operation Lifesaver – 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, Pinterest and Instagram.
Learn more at: www.caoperationlifesaver.com Follow: http://twitter.com/CAOpLifeSaver Visit: http://www.facebook.com/CAOperationLifesaver
