(The following story by Lance Martin appeared on the Roanoke Rapids, N.C., Daily Herald website on January 13.)
WELDON, N.C. — Lose points. Lose money. Lose life.
That’s what happens when motorists try to beat trains at railroad crossings.
The offense will take four points off a drivers license, cost at least $450 and may cost a life, CSX Transportation says.
CSX, along with the Weldon police and fire department and the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, handed motorists brochures at the rail crossing at Becker Drive Wednesday afternoon.
North Carolina has moved off the top 15 list for pedestrian and trespassing injuries, said Nelson High, public safety coordinator for CSX. The state, however, remains on the top 15 for pedestrian and trespass fatalities.
“I think people are getting the message,” High said. “The problem is we get new drivers every year.”
The message is simple, High and CSX say. A 6,000-ton train with 100 cars takes a mile to come to a stop. “Trains have the right of way.”
Because trains no longer run on set schedules, High said CSX uses the safety slogan, “Anytime is train time.”
In addition to it being illegal to fail to yield for trains, it is also illegal to trespass on railroad property, High said.
Trespassing includes walking on tracks or anywhere within the railroad company’s 50 foot right of way, High said. He said four-wheelers are not allowed on railroad right of ways and it is against the law to be on rail bridges or play in parked train cars.
High said all crossings in the state have a telephone number posted on them with an ID number. In the event of an emergency a motorist can call this number — 1-800-232-0144 — and a dispatcher will notify the CSX Police Department, which is made up of certified law enforcement officers.