ATHENS, Ala. (AP) - The sound of a train barreling through downtown Athens the morning of Sept. 21 was a reminder of the dangers that exists each day for anyone who drives over a railroad crossing in Limestone County.
The train’s horn sounded during remarks made by Nancy Hudson, executive director of the Alabama branch of Operation Lifesaver Inc. She met with local media and public safety officials during a stop at Athens City Hall as part of a statewide tour.
Operation Lifesaver works to raise public awareness about rail safety and offers tips to civilians and public safety officials. The Warrior-based group is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Alabama chapter, which was the impetus behind the ongoing 40-city tour. The national program was founded in 1972.
Hudson said that during the first 10 years of Operation Lifesaver, there were more than 2,800 railroad-related crashes, deaths and injuries nationwide. She explained that number has fallen to less than 900 over the past nine years.
“I could not believe we had such a fabulous reduction, but we’re still number six in the nation for vehicle-train collisions and 14th in the nation for fatalities in those crashes,” she said. “We’ve still got work to do.”
According to Operation Lifesaver, a pedestrian or vehicle is hit by a train every three hours in the United States. Ninety-five percent of rail-related deaths are the result of drivers going through a crossing or because a person is walking on the tracks.
According to Operation Lifesaver, it takes a mile or more to stop a train moving at 55 mph, even after the emergency brakes are applied. For reference, that’s the length of 18 football fields.
Despite the obvious dangers, numbers in Alabama continue to rise. In 2014, there were 475 fatalities and 416 injuries nationally. In Alabama, there were six deaths and eight injuries. Last year the number of injuries dropped to 398, but the number of deaths rose to 511. In Alabama, the number of injuries fell to just three, but the number of fatalities rose to 11.
Hudson said education continues to be the biggest difference-maker, especially if her group can teach children it’s never safe to play on railroad tracks.
“More people still die each year from walking up and down the railroad tracks,” she said. “We have to work on positive enforcement and remind people you have to yield (to trains) and that being on the tracks is trespassing.”
When asked if gated crossings reduce the number of vehicle-train collisions, Hudson said research has proven the opposite is true. She explained more than half of those collisions occur where there are signals and gates because some drivers elect to drive around gates.
“There is a piece of safety equipment and it’s the best piece. It’s the driver of that car paying attention and making the right choice,” she said.
Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks admitted that as a younger driver, he would occasionally drive around gated crossings. On Wednesday, he said doing so was “stupid” and wants other drivers to realize the danger associated with railroad crossings, especially in light of the county and city’s continued population growth.
“(More people) means more traffic flow and more crossing railroad tracks,” he said. “We’ve had some horrific accidents here in Athens.”
The city previously explored installing gates at each crossing between Elm Street and Roy Long Road.
When the proposal last received serious consideration by the council in 2011, the estimated cost would have been at least $3 million. The Athens City Council ultimately scrapped the idea.
In June, however, CSX installed a gate at the Market Street crossing as part of a federal highway campaign to improve safety at railroad crossings. Marks said Wednesday he would be amenable to rebooting the discussion with the City Council.
“I think . it’s important we get that back on the table,” he said. “CSX had also recommended a couple of street closures and one or two of those needs to be re-examined.”
___
Information from: The News Courier, https://www.enewscourier.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.