(Source: Operation Lifesaver press release, September 24, 2019)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak Police and Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), the national railroad safety education organization, are partnering again for the third annual “Operation Clear Track” event during Rail Safety Week, Sept. 22-28 in the U.S. and Sept. 23-29 in Canada. “Operation Clear Track,” the largest railroad safety law enforcement operation in the United States, involves more than 600 police and sheriff’s departments across the lower 48 states. This year, “Operation Clear Track” also will be held in Canada.
“This Rail Safety Week, we ask that you think beyond the danger you put yourself in when trespassing on railroad property and give some thought to the families, communities, railroad employees and all others traumatized by this careless behavior,” said Amtrak Police Chief Neil Trugman. “Please obey your state grade crossing and trespassing laws, too many lives depend on it.”
During “Operation Clear Track,” police will report to hundreds of railroad grade crossings around the country deemed “high incident” locations by the Federal Railroad Administration. Once onsite, law enforcement officials will enforce their state grade crossing and trespassing laws during a three-hour safety detail, handing out railroad safety public awareness cards and writing citations and warnings to violators.
“Every three hours in the U.S., a person or vehicle is hit by a train,” said Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Executive Director Rachel Maleh. “While we have made strides in reducing deaths and injuries, the goal of Operation Clear Track and other Rail Safety Week activities is raising awareness to save lives. Operation Clear Track has been an important part of Rail Safety Week since it began in 2017.”
“We want to remind people that a split-second decision to try to beat a train at a crossing, or to use tracks at a shortcut or a recreational path, can have tragic consequences,” said Sarah Mayes, National Director, Operation Lifesaver Canada. “We’re pleased that so many Canadian law enforcement agencies are partnering with us, through Operation Clear Track, to reinforce that message this year.”
According to Operation Lifesaver, each year approximately 2,100 people are killed or injured in grade crossing and trespassing incidents in the U.S. and Canada. Operation Lifesaver’s “STOP Track Tragedies” campaign, which can be seen at oli.org and stoptracktragedies.ca, is also part of RSW.
This collaborative national railroad safety initiative is one of several events scheduled during Rail Safety Week. For more information on railroad safety, visit oli.org and stayoffthetracks.org.
About Amtrak®
Amtrak offers a more comfortable and convenient travel experience with free Wi-Fi on most trains, plenty of leg room and no middle seat. With our state and commuter partners, we move people, the economy and the nation forward, carrying more than 30 million Amtrak customers for each of the past seven years. Amtrak operates more than 300 trains daily, connecting more than 500 destinations in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces, and reaches 400 additional destinations via connecting bus routes. Learn more at Amtrak.com.
About Operation Lifesaver
Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit public safety education and awareness organization dedicated to reducing collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail crossings and preventing trespassing on or near railroad tracks. A national network of trained volunteers gives free presentations on rail safety and a public awareness campaign, See Tracks? Think Train!” provides tips and statistics to encourage safe behavior near the tracks. OLI leads an international observance of Rail Safety Week each September. Learn more about Rail Safety Week; follow OLI on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.