WHAT is Operation
Lifesaver?
Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit, international
public education program whose goal is to eliminate collisions, deaths, and injuries at
highway-rail intersections and on railroad rights-of-way. In the U.S. it is sponsored
cooperatively by a wide variety of partners, including federal, state and local government
agencies, highway safety and transportation organizations, and the nation's railroads.
HOW does Operation
Lifesaver meet its goals…
To meet its lifesaving goals, Operation Lifesaver strives
to increase public awareness about the danger at places where roadways and railroads cross
at grade and on railroad rights-of-way. Through free, one hour, public education presentations,
the program seeks to improve driver and pedestrian behavior at highway-rail intersections by
encouraging compliance with traffic laws relating to crossing signs and signals. Operation
Lifesaver endeavors to reduce deaths and injuries on railroad right-of-way by educating people
that railroad property is private property and about the dangers on the tracks. In conjunction
with its education program, Operation Lifesaver promotes active enforcement of traffic laws
related to crossing signs and signals and private property laws related to trespass prevention.
Research and innovation in highway-rail and traffic engineering, while outside the scope of
Operation Lifesaver's charter, are also recognized as critical elements for improving safety
around tracks and trains.
WHY it is
needed...
...Because each year far too many people are killed
and seriously injured in preventable highway-rail grade crossing crashes and incidents involving
pedestrians trespassing. *In 2004, 3006 highway-rail grade crossing train/vehicle collisions resulted
in 369 deaths and 1038 injuries. 480 deaths resulted from pedestrian trespassing incidents.
(*Federal Railroad Administration statistics)
...Because a highway-rail grade crossing presents a unique traffic environment for motorists,
some drivers do not cross railroad tracks often enough to be familiar with the warning devices
designed for their safety. Often they are unaware that trains cannot stop as quickly as motor
vehicles to avoid a collision. Others simply ignore the warning signs because they are 'in a hurry'
and would rather try to "beat the train" than wait. Driver inattention and impatience are often common
factors contributing to collisions between motor vehicles and trains at highway-rail grade crossings.
WHEN it began...
...Operation Lifesaver was began in Idaho in 1972 after Union Pacific
Railroad and community leaders in the state banded together to combat the growing number of highway-rail
grade crossing collisions. They created a public education program that became known as Operation Lifesaver.
The result? At the end of the first year, the highway-rail grade crossing fatalities dropped a resounding 43 percent.
...Colorado began its Operation Lifesaver program in 1977 and has been successful in reducing collisions across the state.
WHERE it is
active...
...Operation Lifesaver is now an international
program active in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other areas of the world.
Each State in the US has it’s own Operation Lifesaver program. It is at the grass-roots
level -- in the cities, in rural communities, and in the schools where Operation Lifesaver
has been most effective. Colorado Operation Lifesaver works with people in the community
who are at the greatest risk- new drivers, professional truck drivers, school bus operators,
emergency responders, and all those unaware of private property laws related to trespass
prevention. The Federal Highway Administration credits Operation Lifesaver's educational
activities in combination with better enforcement and improved engineering, with helping to
reduce the number of fatalities on the rails by 11,000 and injuries by 54,000.
WHO's involved...
...The nation's railroads, related federal, state, and local
governments, businesses, railroad suppliers, labor, civic and community leaders and other
concerned safety professionals are all part of state programs. But it does not end there.
A contingent of volunteer Presenters who enjoy speaking to the public and who want to make
a difference by promoting safety in their community conduct ongoing presentations across the
nation and Colorado.
To schedule an Operation Lifesaver presentation in your community or if you are interested in
volunteering several hours a month as a Presenter or Associate, please contact Colorado
Operation Lifesaver at 303-759-3677 or by email a sc@co-ol.org
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