Operation Life Saver:
Operation
Lifesaver is a non-profit, international, public education
program first established in 1972 to end collisions, deaths and
injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad
rights-of-way.
To accomplish its mission, Operation
Lifesaver promotes 3 E's:
Education
Operation Lifesaver strives to increase public awareness about
the dangers around the rails. The program seeks to educate both
drivers and pedestrians to make safe decisions at crossings and
around railroad tracks.
Enforcement
Operation Lifesaver promotes active enforcement of traffic laws
relating to crossing signs and signals and private property laws
related to trespassing.
Engineering:
Operation Lifesaver encourages continued engineering research
and innovation to improve the safety of railroad crossings.
History of Operation Lifesaver:
Operation Lifesaver started in Idaho in 1972 when the national
average of collisions at highway-rail grade crossings exceeded
12,000 annually. A six-week public awareness campaign called
"Operation Lifesaver" was sponsored by the office of Governor
Cecil Andrus, the Idaho Peace Officers and Union Pacific
railroad as a one-time, one-state initiative.
During the campaign’s first year, Idaho’s crossing-related
fatalities dropped by 43 percent. The next year, the Operation
Lifesaver campaign spread to Nebraska, where their collision
rate was reduced by 26 percent. Kansas and Georgia experienced
similar success the following year.
Between 1978 and 1986, while Operation Lifesaver operated under
the auspices of the National Safety Council, all 49 continental
states started independent Operation Lifesaver programs. In
1986, the national program was released from NSC and
incorporated as a national, non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational
organization. The founding sponsors of Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
(OLI): the Railway Progress Institute, Amtrak and the
Association of American Railroads continue to serve on OLI's 11
member Board of Directors.
Today, Operation Lifesaver programs are active in 49 states in
the United States of America and the District of Columbia
nationwide. Contact your state coordinator for more information
on local activities and volunteer opportunities.
To contact the National Directors of our programs around the
globe, visit their websites at International OL.
Know your rail signs and signals
There are both active and passive warning
devices that are widely used. Passive signs and active traffic
control devices are installed along the roads near the railroad
tracks to regulate, warn or guide traffic. They alert drivers to the
presence of railroad tracks and to the possibility of an approaching
train. These signs and devices also provide a safety message and
remind the driver of the laws regarding highway-rail grade
crossings. What follows is a list of various signs and devices that
you will see in connection with highway-rail grade crossings.
Passive Signs IN ADVANCE of
Railroad Crossings
These are non-electric signs that warn the
motorist the road ahead crosses the railroad tracks.
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Yellow Circular Advance Warning
sign warns drivers that the road crosses railroad tracks
ahead. It reminds the driver to slow down, look and listen
for a train and be prepared to stop if a train is
approaching. |
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Pavement Markings on paved
roads near the yellow Circular Advance Warning sign
also alert drivers that the road crosses railroad tracks
ahead. |
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A Stop Line painted across
the lane on paved roads identifies the safe place to stop
and look for an approaching train. On gravel roads
there are no Pavement Markings or Stop Lines, and the
driver must stop no closer than 15 feet. The yellow
Diamond-Shaped Parallel Track sign identifies
highway-rail intersections that appear immediately after
making either a right or a left turn. |
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The yellow Diamond-Shaped
Parallel Track sign identifies highway-rail
intersections that appear immediately after making either a
right or a left turn. |
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The Crossbuck sign is the
most common sign at public highway-rail intersections.
It has two crossed white boards with the words RAILROAD
CROSSING. It marks the crossing and should be considered the
same as a YIELD sign. If there is more than one track, a
sign below the Crossbuck indicates the number of tracks
present. After one train has passed, look and listen for
another train coming from either direction. Take
extra care at "passive" crossings (marked only with a
Crossbuck). Always expect a train! |
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The STOP signs mean the same
as they do at highway intersections. A driver must always
stop at the STOP sign in advance of the railroad
tracks. |
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Flashing Red Lights — with or
without bells — warns of an approaching train. When the
red lights are flashing, a train is approaching. Stop and
wait for the train to pass, then proceed when it is clearly
safe to do so. |
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Flashing Red Lights — with bells
and gates-are used to close the road when a train
approaches. It is illegal to go around the gates.
Going around the gates makes the driver legally liable
for any deaths, injuries, or damage to property if a
collision occurs. |
Why aren't there gates at all
crossings?
Some crossings have very light vehicular
traffic and trains may only pass on that corridor one or two times a
week. At such crossings it may not be cost effective to install and
maintain gates or lights. Decisions regarding the appropriate type
of warning devices are made by the state highway officials. Gates do
not prevent crashes, people do. Statistics show that approximately
half of all highway-rail grade crossing incidents occur where gates
and flashing lights or some active warning device is present and
operational.
Who is responsible for grade
crossing signals?
Because the grade crossing is where two
modes of transportation intersect, the railroad and the state
highway-local street agencies share in the installation and
maintenance of the signals. However, driver and pedestrians have the
responsibility for adhering to the warnings the signals provide. Any
signal ignored is as useless as no signal at all.
More information can be on Operation Lifesaver at
http://www.oli.org/index.php
