(CN issued the following on November 2, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With unintentional injuries as the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14 in the United States, Safe Kids USA and CN, one of the largest railroads in North America, are working together to teach elementary school students around the country how to stay safe near railroad tracks and trains.
In 2008, approximately 744 people were killed and 1,372 were injured in incidents involving trains in the United States. These incidents involved either trains and pedestrians or trains and motor vehicle occupants. Twenty-two children ages 14 and under were killed, and another 122 were injured, in incidents involving trains.
Safe Crossing Week, Nov. 1 to 7, 2009, focuses on Teaching Safety for Life, which includes an innovative in-school program that provides grade level-specific railroad safety curriculum and activities. Local Safe Kids safety experts, CN Police officers, and CN employee volunteers are teaching more than 130,000 elementary school students in the United States and Canada, making it the largest and most wide-spread Safe Crossing Week in history. This year, some of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals and children’s museums have come on board to hold special events to further broaden the reach of the program.
“Even though parents are ultimately responsible for their kids’ safety, children can be our ambassadors for a safer community,” said Chrissy Cianflone, Director of Program Operations for Safe Kids USA. “Children pass along what they learn to their families and set good examples as role models for one another. If we want to build a culture of safety, it starts with reaching children early so that safe practices and behaviors become second-nature as they grow and develop into safe teens and adults.”
Participating schools will access the Safe Crossing Week 2009 package online, which includes grade-specific lesson plans and activities incorporating railroad safety into language and reading, science and technology, social science, health and physical education, and citizenship and government classes for kindergarten to grade 6 students; a Safe Crossing Week poster and school certificate; student activity booklets for students; parent letters, brochures and fact sheets in English and Spanish; and interactive web-based teaching tools.
To stay safe near railroad tracks, parents and children need to discuss and follow these simple life-saving safety rules:
* Only cross at marked railroad crossings. Always look both ways before crossing the tracks.
* Obey all signs and signals. Listen for a warning bell or train whistle. Watch for flashing lights.
* Never try to cross the tracks if a train is coming. Trains are very large and heavy, and take a long time to stop!
* When a train is coming, stand at least 10 giant steps away from the tracks. If one train passes, make sure another one isn’t coming. Trains can come from any direction at any time on any track.
* Get off your bike and walk it across the tracks. Don’t forget to wear your helmet when you ride your bike.
* Walking or playing on or near railroad tracks is dangerous.
To access teaching tools for Safe Crossing Week 2009, visit www.usa.safekids.org/rail. Young children can also learn more about railroad safety while having fun with Obie, the safety train, and his engineer friend, Max, at www.cn.ca/obie.
Safe Kids USA is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations with a mission of preventing unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14. Safe Kids Worldwide’s 19 member countries bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families. The organization was founded in 1987 by Children’s National Medical Center with support from Johnson & Johnson. For more information, please visit http://www.usa.safekids.org/.
The Safe Crossing Program is part of CN’s All Aboard for Safety community education program through which CN has been promoting railroad safety for more than 25 years. Part of the strength of the All Aboard for Safety program is the collaborative relationship CN shares with major community safety organizations: Safe Kids USA, Safe Kids Canada, Operation Lifesaver, Safe Communities America, Safe Communities Canada, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and SMARTRISK. Every year, CN Police officers make All Aboard for Safety presentations to more than 300,000 students and adults in schools and at community events in the United States and Canada.