LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Transportation is calling attention to National Rail Safety Week, which lasts from Sept. 22-28.
National Rail Safety Week is a campaign by Michigan nonprofit Operation Lifesaver (OLI) and is meant to create awareness of the dangers of highway-rail grade crossings and train tracks.
“While the number of highway-rail crossing crashes, deaths, and injuries have dropped over the past five decades, it’s still a startling fact that about every three hours in the U.S. a person or vehicle is hit by a train,” Michigan OLI state coordinator Sam Crowl said.
Messages through billboards, PSA’s, and other forms will be issued in Michigan this week. The campaign is supported by organizations such as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Preliminary FRA data for Michigan shows that in 2018, 44 vehicle/train crashes occurred at highway-rail grade crossings, resulting in 15 injuries. Additionally, 12 pedestrians or trespassers were injured or killed while walking on or near railroad tracks in Michigan last year.
“The goal of RSW is to raise awareness of the need for rail safety education and empower Michigan residents to keep themselves safe near highway-rail grade crossings and railroad property,” MDOT Office of Rail director Tim Hoeffner said. “We fully support OLI and RSW’s goal: educating our citizens to automatically expect a train on any track or at any crossing, and to take appropriate precautions.”
The news comes after a motorbike driver was killed in Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood after a wreck near a railroad this week.
