Look, Listen and Live

The majority of collisions between trains and motor vehicles involve trains traveling at 35 mph or less. In approximately 25 percent of all highway-rail grade crossing crashes, the motor vehicle strikes the train, which is already passing through the crossing. Nearly two-thirds of all crossing crashes occur during daylight hours, through crossings equipped with automatic warning devices. Driver inattention is clearly the major cause.

The average train weighs about 12 million pounds. The ratio of that train to an average motor vehicle is about 4,000 to 1 – the same ratio of that motor vehicle to an aluminum can. When the average vehicle runs over it, the can will be crushed. A similar result can be expected when a motor vehicle puts itself in the path of a train.

An average 100-car train traveling at 50 mph can take one mile to stop. All motorists should: Be ready to stop when approaching a grade crossing. A train can come at any time, in either direction. At multiple track crossings, a second train may be approaching from the opposite direction.

The Indiana State Police and Indiana Operation Lifesaver urge motorists to use extreme caution as they approach highway-rail grade crossings, especially in inclement weather.  Inclement weather and driving too fast for existing road conditions are a deadly mix at Indiana’s highway-rail grade crossings.

Indiana Operation Lifesaver suggests these safety tips:

• At the advance warning signs indicating that there are train tracks ahead, slow down and expect a train at the crossing.
• Never go around the crossing gate or try to beat the train at an unguarded crossing.
• Lower your window and listen for a train whistle that would indicate the train is near.
• Be prepared to stop and go slow enough to do so.
• Adhere to all warning signals at the crossing.

·         If your vehicle stalls or gets “hung up” at a crossing, do not attempt to move it. Exit immediately and call 911 so any approaching train can be notified about your vehicle. Check on the signal post where the train cross bucks are located for an 800 number, call it immediately with the appropriate crossing number.

For more information, visit the Operation Lifesaver web site, www.oli.org, and remember to “Look, Listen and Live” at Indiana’s highway-rail grade crossings.

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GREGORY