Operation Lifesaver Promotes a Safe Summer Season

Ottawa - As the summer travel season begins, Operation Lifesaver wants to encourage Canadians to continue to maintain caution and use common sense around highway/railway crossings and train operations. “With more people traveling throughout different areas of the country, it is increasingly important to remain diligent about crossing safety and trespass prevention,” said Dan Di Tota, national director of Operation Lifesaver in Canada. “While people should always use caution and make safe decisions around railway operations and highway/railway crossings, it is especially important when approaching unfamiliar crossings or operations in different parts of the country.” In 2006, there were 249 crossing collisions across Canada, 28 fatalities and 27 serious injuries. In addition, there were 91 trespasser incidents, including 58 fatalities and 27 serious injuries. “While we have seen a decrease in crossing accidents and only a slight increase in year-over-year trespassing incidents, all of these occurrences can be prevented with the proper amount of attentiveness, education and personal caution,” Di Tota added. “We are encouraging Canadians to make smart decisions this summer, practice railway safety, and to Look, Listen and Live.” With Canadians traveling to different regions of the country during the summer months, Operation Lifesaver says there are a number of factors to remember about railway operations. Trains can run at anytime of day, cannot swerve out of the way of oncoming traffic, and can take, in some cases, up to two kilometres to stop. Operation Lifesaver is a national public-education program sponsored by the Railway Association of Canada and Transport Canada, with the goal to reduce the needless loss of life, injuries and damages caused by highway/railway crossing collisions and train/pedestrian accidents. Contact Information: Dan Di Tota Operation Lifesaver 613-564-8094 dand@railcan.ca Ken Lancastle Railway Association of Canada 613-567-8591 kenl@railcan.ca