First-Ever Rail Safety Week September 24-30

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The first-ever national Rail Safety Week, a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the national rail safety education nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), will take place September 24-30, 2017. Believe it or not, a person or vehicle in the U.S. is hit by a train about every three hours. In fact, 95 percent of all rail-related deaths involve drivers going through a crossing or a person on the tracks. The goal of the week is to raise awareness, encourage rail safety education and empower the public to make smart decisions near railroad crossings. 

For railroads, safety is an all-year, round-the-clock priority. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) statistics announced earlier this year show that 2016 was the safest year on record for freight railroads. Last year not only marked the lowest train accident rate on record, but likewise the lowest derailment rate, which declined 10 percent from 2015. These gains are not anomalies, but examples of how steady rail investment pays safety dividends. For example, since railroads were economically deregulated in 1980, they have spent over $630 billion and the train accident rate has decreased 79 percent.

Christy Sammon is a State Director at GoRail, a national non-profit promoting the benefits of freight railroads.  She can be reached at csammon@gorail.org