Railroad Safety Campaign: Today Is 'Crossing Awareness Day'

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA - Bay Area rail transportation providers, a safety group and law enforcement are working together today to raise awareness of the life and death decisions that can be made at railroad crossings. 

Caltrain police and Burlingame police will be out between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Caltrain's Broadway crossing in Burlingame to educate people and enforce the safety laws at the crossing. 

In Oakland between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. law enforcement and officials with Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad will be observing railroad crossings from a train traveling between Oakland and Hayward. 

Law enforcement officers on the ground will be writing citations for any violations and educating people about crossing safety. 

State coordinator for California Operation Lifesaver Nancy Sheehan said her agency and the others today are participating in International Level Crossing Awareness Day, which aims to help people make good decisions around railroad crossings. 

Operation Lifesaver is nonprofit that aims to reduce the number of tragic incidents at railroad crossings.

The railroad crossing awareness day started in 2009 in Europe where railroad crossings on ground level are called level crossings. Here in the U.S., the crossings at ground level are said to be at grade.

Sheehan said too many times drivers try to beat a train at a crossing "and that's always a losing proposition."

In the Bay Area, collisions between vehicles and Caltrain trains rose in 2015. In Burlingame two vehicles were struck at the Broadway crossing and another was struck at the Bayswater Avenue crossing in a span of 14 days.

Another collision occurred at the Broadway crossing in March even though improvements had been made, Caltrain officials said. 

"We want you to remember that trains always have the right of way," Sheehan said. 

A train extends three feet beyond each side of the tracks. Drivers should know that when there is heavy traffic and they're trying to cross the tracks. "If you don't fit, don't commit," Sheehan said. 

Drivers who get stuck on the tracks should get out of their vehicle right away and get off the tracks. They should be able to find a blue sign nearby with a phone number they can call to report their situation, Sheehan said.

By calling the phone number and providing an identification number on the sign, operators can stop the train. If a driver is unable to find the sign, they should call 911, Sheehan said.

• Also see: DUI Enforcement Patrols Will Be Out Friday In South SF, San Bruno

--Bay City News/Image courtesy of CA Operation Lifesaver