Editorial

Don't take railroad safety for granted

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Railroads were the lifelines that brought European settlers to the Golden Plains and still carry the fruits -- make that grains -- of their labor to markets scattered from neighboring states to the ends of the world.

Railroads continue to be one of the best ways of transporting large amounts of merchandise over long distances for the least expenditure of energy.

It's easy to take them for granted or fail to pay them the respect they are due when we live around them every day. In McCook, a railroad center from the beginning, we're blessed with over- and under-passes that prevent traffic from being blocked by the slow-moving rail traffic moving into and out of the railyards.

But away from town, when we're out hunting, for instance, it's a different story.

Operation Lifesaver Nebraska, the state's non-profit railroad safety education group, notes that hunting on or near train tracks is not only illegal trespassing, it could be deadly. Last year, 456 people died and 429 were injured while trespassing on railroad property nationwide, according to preliminary federal statistics.

"Trains move faster than you may think; they can be quieter than you think, and they can't stop quickly to avoid someone on the tracks," said Helen M. Sramek, president of Operation Lifesaver Inc., based in Alexandria, Va.

The group offers the following pedestrian rail safety tips:

Walking, hunting, fishing or riding snowmobiles or ATVs on tracks is dangerous and illegal. Trespassers are subject to arrest and/or fines.

At designated crossings, check before crossing for trains moving in different directions on multiple tracks.

Distractions can be deadly, too. Turn your cell phone and MP3 players off when you're near train tracks.

Stay three or four feet away from railroad tracks. Locomotives and rail cars are wider than the tracks.

It can take a mile or more to stop a train.

More information is available in a new Operation Lifesaver hunting safety video posted on YouTube at http://bit.ly/2W1nVk

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