OLI Said Campaign Reached ‘Millions’

Operation Lifesaver this week said its rail safety messages “reached millions” during Rail Safety Week in September through a combination of events and publicity campaigns in various forms of mass media and social media.

Rail Safety Week was adopted in 2017 in North America and includes rail safety groups in Canada and Mexico.

During the 2022 Rail Safety Week in the United States 302 law enforcement, first responder agencies, and individuals in 36 states participating in Operation Clear Track on Sept. 19.

A news release issued by OLI noted that this year’s campaign urged the public to make safe choices when near railroad tracks whether in a motor vehicle or on foot.

OLI Awards Grants to Ohio, Indiana, Pa. Chapters

Operation Lifesaver chapters in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, will receive a share of $200,000 in grant funding to be awarded by the national Operation Lifesaver organization in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration.

In a news release, OLI said the funding will be used for public education projects to be conducted during Rail Safety Week Sept. 19-25.

The programs will involve public awareness campaigns and community events.

Grants were awarded through a competitive process based on such criteria as the defined safety need, the number of crossing collisions in the state and how the proposal uses the funding sought.

Other grant recipients include OLI organizations in California, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Pa., Indiana OLS Chapters Receive Grants

Operation Lifesaver chapters in Indiana and Pennsylvania will receive $200,000 in Federal Highway Administration grants for grade crossing safety education projects.

The projects entail launching public awareness campaigns and hosting events to provide safety tips to target audiences.

Many of these events will be conducted during Rail Safety Week, set for Sept. 20-26.

The projects will use advertising on radio, cable television and digital platforms; social media; geofencing, and personal outreach.

Also receiving grants were OLS chapters in California, Arizona, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington state.

NS Revives Grade Crossing Safety Campaign

During Rail Safety Week Norfolk Southern revived a public awareness campaign about its Waze mobile application that seeks to warn motorists approaching grade crossings.

NS uses the Waze app to provide specific safety tips.

“This partnership [with Waze] gives us a chance to reach people that may not otherwise receive these safety messages, and with 30 million Waze users in the United States alone, that is powerful,” said Jason Morris, the NS assistant vice president of safety and environmental.

The NS campaign will provide safety information when motorists approach crossings that have a high number of crossing incidents.

Motorists will see advertisements in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio.

NS implemented a similar campaign in 2019 using Waze and said in a news release that areas targeted last year experienced a drop in grade crossing incidents.

The latest NS campaign began in mid-September in advance of National Rail Safety Week (Sept. 21-27).

OLI Launches Rail Safety Week

Operation Lifesaver launched its annual Rail Safety Week on Monday with a series of events and activities designed to highlight safe behavior on and near railroad property.

The event will include events in Canada and Mexico.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the events in the United States will be virtual and use social media.

Numerous communities have issued rail safety week proclamations and law enforcement and first responder representatives will speak about safety and anti-trespass laws.

On Friday (Sept. 25) participants will wear red for “Red Out for Rail Safety” to show support for safety near tracks and trains.

Other planned events will feature safe practices at grade crossings and at commuter rail and transit stations.

The week will wrap up on Sunday (Sept. 27) with an emphasis on discouraging professional and amateur photographers from illegally taking photos, videos or film on railroad tracks.

Mexico Joins Rail Safety Week 2020

Rail Safety Week will observed this year in the United States, Canada and Mexico between Sept. 21-27.

It will be the first time that the Asociación Mexicana de Ferrocarriles (Mexican Association of Railroads—AMF) will join its U.S. and Canadian counterparts.

The week is designed to support the public awareness initiative to encourage drivers and pedestrians to practice safe behavior near railroad tracks.

OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh said digital and downloadable versions of a report detailing results of the U.S. 2019 Rail Safety Week efforts are now available.

A centerpiece of Rail Safety Week since 2018 is the #STOPTrackTragedies campaign, which features videos telling the stories of people affected by rail crossing and trespassing incidents.

“Our 2020 Rail Safety Week efforts will be led by state coordinators across the U.S. to highlight crossing safety and rail trespass prevention in high-incident areas,” said Maleh.

“We’re excited to coordinate with Operation Lifesaver Canada and now, the AMF, through events, social media, news media outreach and paid marketing efforts.”

OLI Observing Rail Safety Week

Rail Safety Week was launched this week by Operation Lifesaver in the United States and Canada.

The OLI organizations in both countries are collaborating in a joint campaign known as #STOPTrackTragedies to raise public awareness of safe practices at railroad grade crossings.

During the campaign OLI will show videos with the personal stories of people including victims, friends and family members, locomotive engineers and first responders who were affected by grade crossing or trespassing incidents.

One video a day will be released each day over the course of Rail Safety Week, which runs through Sept. 28.

OLI said that last year’s campaign and other safety week efforts generated nearly 3.7 million video views on YouTube and 18 million impressions on social and traditional media in the U.S. and Canada.

Rail Safety Week Underway

Operation Lifesaver is observing its second Rail Safety Week with this year’s theme of “stop track tragedies.”

The event is held held in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation and various railroads and seeks to raise awareness of the dangers of railroads and educate the public on how to be safe around railroad tracks.

Participants in the program are particularly focusing on educating children to engage in safe behavior when near railroad tracks.

U.S., Canada OLI To Observe Rail Safety Week

The Operation Lifesaver organizations of the United States and Canada are planning to conduct a joint Rail Safety Week this year, Sept. 23 to 29.

Canada has observed Rail Safety Week in April for the past 15 years while its U.S. counterpart held its first Rail Safety Week in 2017.

“By aligning our dates with those of the U.S., we’re ensuring a more coordinated — and hopefully impactful — North American rail-safety campaign,” said Sarah Mayes, national director of Operation Lifesaver Canada.

In the United States, Operation Lifesaver works with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the railroad industry, state Operation Lifesaver programs and other state and local safety partners on an awareness campaign, local events and distribution of safety tips to pedestrians, drivers, transit riders and passenger-rail users throughout the week.