•May 4, 2022•
In Illinois last year, approximately 103 people were killed or injured in grade crossing and trespassing incidents. Illinois Operation Lifesaver works to prevent these needless incidents from happening through public awareness campaigns, education programs and free rail safety presentations.
Operation Lifesaver, the non-profit rail safety education and awareness organization dedicated to reducing collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail crossings and preventing trespassing on or near railroad tracks, is observing its 50th anniversary in 2022. Over the past five decades, Operation Lifesaver and its safety partners have helped reduce railroad crossing incidents by 84 percent across the nation. But there is more work to do – every three hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States.
“The Illinois Commerce Commission has overseen Illinois’ rail safety efforts for more than 150 years. Keeping pedestrians, motorists, and train employees safe near and around railroad tracks and trains is a top priority for our agency. We are proud of our partnership with Operation Lifesaver, year after year the statistics reflect the effectiveness of our robust educational efforts and awareness campaigns,” said ICC Chairman Carrie Zalewski.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.