(The following story by Loresha Wilson appeared on the Shreveport Times website on June 9, 2010.)
SHREVEPORT, La. — Shreveport Police Department, assisted by officials of Union Pacific, tested the safety awareness of Shreveport motorists Tuesday.
Most passed the test, but a few violated the law and jeopardized their safety and the safety of Union Pacific personnel.
The train ran a set of engines back and forth across Old Mansfield Road, between Claiborne and Midway avenues, while police observed the actions of drivers.
The motorcycle patrol officers wrote 13 tickets for motorists playing beat-the-train between 7 and 10:30 a.m. Many motorists sped through the crossing once they acknowledged the train, and others slowed down then crossed the tracks.
The tickets will cost the drivers $188 each, but railroad employees and police say they hope the crossing crackdown will save motorists their lives.
“It is important to remember that we write tickets to save lives and these special enforcement efforts are part of our commitment to keep the motoring public safe,” said Bill Goodin, police spokesman.
Tuesday’s efforts were part of the Operation Lifesaver program, a national effort to cut down on rail-highway accidents, in which Louisiana is No. 6 nationally. Similar ticketing is in Bossier City at times.
Railroad engineers blow train horns when they pass markers nearly 1,000 feet from crossings. Sensors on the tracks start flashing signals and trip gates where they are present. By law, drivers must yield to the train once it blows its horn or is plainly visible. When they can hear that horn, the train is within 900 feet of that crossing, and they must stop.
“These operations serve as a unique opportunity for us to partner with railroad officials and work together with them to prevent crashes involving vehicles and trains,” Goodin said. Authorities conduct the operation at least once quarterly. “The locations are determined by where we get the complaints from the conductors and sometimes citizens.”
In 2009, Louisiana ranked sixth in the nation for vehicle-train collisions, sixth for highway-rail fatalities and fifth for highway-rail injuries, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. So far this year, the state has the lowest number of deaths and injuries from highway-rail grade crossing collisions recorded to date.
For the first time, the number of crossing collisions nationwide fell below 2,000 to 1,880, a 21.9 percent drop from 2008 data.
Louisiana highway-rail incidents dropped by 25.7 percent from 113 in 2008 to 84 in 2009. Fatalities resulting from these collisions decreased from 15 in 2008 to 11 in 2009, the Federal Railroad Administration reports. Injuries in Louisiana crashes went from 43 to 35 in 2009.
“As rail safety advocates, we are encouraged to see double-digit drops in the number of highway-rail grade crossing collisions, deaths and injuries, as well as pedestrian rail trespass injuries,” said Pat Edwards, state coordinator for Louisiana Operation Lifesaver.
Police also issued citations for no insurance, no child restraint, expired driver’s license, no driver’s license, no proof of insurance and expired inspection stickers.