Railroad Safety & Your Bus - aka "Operation Lifesaver"

[RJ]

All -

In light of the recent bus/train collision in Colorado Springs earlier this month, perhaps it's a good idea to emphasize a safety reminder about railroad grade crossings:

ANYTIME is Train Time!

Translation: You never know when a train is coming, so be prepared.

There's a reason buses with passengers on board are required to stop at railroad grade crossings - passenger safety!

Granted, we aren't in revenue service, but we're still carrying family.  Doesn't mean we have to stop, but it does mean you should pay close attention.

Operation Lifesaver is the organization that promotes rail crossing safety.  Browse their website for more information.

http://www.oli.org/

FWIW & HTH. . .

[jjrbus]

When you race a train to a crossing, the train wins all ties!!  JIm

[expressbus]

In the last three weeks here in NC there have been two crashes at highway-rail grade crossings. The first one was near a stop sign controlled intersection in Durham during the PM Peak traffic hour. The female driver of the SUV was stopped on the track with cars to the front and rear. She had no way to clear the track. Well Amtrak swept her SUV off the track and in the process killed two children, one 9 and one 6 years old. The second crash also involved a female driving an SUV and talking on a cell phone. She crashed through the downed gates and again Amtrak swept her SUV clear of the tracks. In this crash the driver and one child was killed with a 4 month old being ejected in a car seat surviving but with critical injuries.

Now both of these crossings have physical protection of the crossing and it was in working order. What was not in working order was the minds of both drivers. First, NEVER stop a vehicle on railroad tracks - NEVER! We should all have sufficient control over our vehicles and be able to estimate the distance available to us beyond the track before beginning to cross. Second, HANG UP THE DAMN CELL PHONE and perform your primary responsibility when behind the wheel - DRIVE THE DAMN VEHICLE according to the rules of the road. We will all be a lot safer if you will just do that for every highway-rail grade crossing in your path. Trains don't have schedules anymore and Amtrak is so irregular in maintaining a schedule that they too essentially do not have a schedule. Consider every tarck that you approach as being active AND with a train approaching.

'Nuff Said ...

[jackhartjr]

I am reminded of one of the lessons we taught in The National Safety Council's 'Safe Driving for the Professional Truck Driver Course'.
When you see a plane landing at a major airport...it appears to be going slow...however...it is probably going 200MPH or better...the distance gives a false reading of the actual speed.  Same with trains...it may look like it is going slow...however that is because of the narrow angle we are watching it come towad us!  It may be much faster than we thought!
Jack

[PCC]

To see the devastation caused when a train meets a car, truck, or bus, it makes me do what I did when I was driving a commercial vehicle - STOP, then proceed to cross the tracks.

I know I don't have to - my bus is just my bus. 

But my life, and the lives of my passengers/family are too valuable.