Batory calls on public to help improve rail-crossing safety

In a newspaper column published this week, Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory called on motorists and pedestrians to "make safe choices" at railroad crossings by honoring warning signals and lowered gates.

Batory pointed out that 94 percent of rail-related fatalities and injuries occur at crossings or while trespassing. Also, about every three hours, a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States.

In an effort to improve those statistics, the Federal Railroad Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently launched a media awareness campaign titled "Stop! Trains Can't," Batory wrote.

The campaign will use social, radio and digital ads to target areas at higher risk for crossing accidents. It also will focus on educating drivers in states where the most dangerous crossings are located, as well as in areas in which 75 percent of crashes occurred last year.

"While many can be reached through these campaigns, we are asking for the public's help to reinforce this message with family and friends to help prevent what have become all too common events," wrote Batory in the column, which appeared Monday in the Des Moines Register.

Train crashes are avoidable, but it's up to motorists to stop because trains cannot stop quickly, Batory said.

In addition to the public awareness campaign, the U.S. Department of Transportation is partnering with technology companies to add rail-crossing alerts to mobile applications, and is testing intrusion detection technology to provide advanced warning to trains when a vehicle is on the tracks, he said.

The department also is partnering with Operation Lifesaver Inc. on other rail safety education initiatives to encourage drivers to make safe choices at crossings.

"Here's the formula: If you are a motorist or pedestrian, slow down, look both ways, and listen when you approach a railroad crossing," Batory advised. "Stay alert and avoid the distractions of phones, music and conversation. Check that you have enough room on the other side of the tracks to cross safely."