Many thousands of Iowa motorists roll over railroad tracks every day without thinking much about them, but a new campaign, “See Tracks, Think Train,” is designed to make drivers pay more attention, especially in those danger zones.
Amanda Martin is executive director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Rail Team which is marking Rail Safety Week.
“It’s just to make the public aware of what is occurring as far as rail safety,” Martin says, “helping people be prepared when they do encounter tracks or when they are near a railroad, what they should do, how they should react.”
Martin offers several tips: never drive around, under or through lowered crossing gates or flashing red lights. Look both ways after a train passes as a second train may have been hidden coming from the opposite direction. Don’t try to cross the tracks unless there’s room for your vehicle on the other side. If your vehicle stalls on the tracks, get out right away, move to a safe distance and call the emergency number posted on the crossing sign or 911.
Iowa DOT Rail Division
“We just want folks to be aware that not every crossing has signals, lights and gates. Some of them are what we call passive, which means that there’s just a crossbuck sign,” Martin says. “People need to yield to the train. That’s part of our requirement as being a driver, but also I think people just become complacent, unfortunately, and we want people to be paying attention.”
There is a blue sign mounted at every rail crossing that lists an 800-number as well as a seven-digit number/letter combination that identifies the location. Martin says to use that number immediately if you are in a dangerous situation or spot one on or near the tracks.
“When you call that number, you will get somebody at the railroad that owns the track and they can stop the train — if there’s time,” Martin says. “We know that there’s been a lot of times that people have called in and been able to get the train stopped before something catastrophic happens, because sometimes people get stuck on the track.”
The DOT says the state averages almost 60 railroad crossing crashes every year, about a third of which result in injuries. Between July of last year and June of this year, there were five railroad crashes that resulted in deaths.
