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MAINE OPERATION LIFESAVER

 

 

Two new DVDs targeting specific audiences have been released by

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. and are now available at no charge through

Maine Operation Lifesaver.

“Stay Alive When You Drive” has just begun distribution to provide professional truck drivers with the information they need to drive safely at railroad crossings.  The fast-paced video provides critical tips to help commercial drivers avoid collisions.  Scenes in the video include several serious crashes that illustrate the high stakes drivers face at crossings.  In one scenario, on a dark, rain-swept night, a driver is shown the steps that can be taken to stay safe.  Another scenario shows the vast number of distractions - pagers, GPS systems, laptops, and, of course, cell phones, which divert drivers’ attention from the road.  Also in the ten-minute video, drivers are directed to get out of their rigs immediately if stalled at a crossing or if a low-boy trailer being pulled becomes wedged on the tracks while crossing.  Maine Operation Lifesaver volunteers are happy to show the video and talk further about railroad crossings at no charge during an upcoming company safety day or you can request a copy to show drivers on your own.

“Look to Live” is the new driver education video, and since the vast majority of student drivers are teens, the DVD fits their lifestyle with music and featuring young adults through its ten-minute duration. Students are reminded that a train can approach from either direction at anytime, that because of its size an approaching train appears to be moving slower than it actually is, and how to escape safely from a vehicle if it stalls at a crossing. The video also suggests the driver turn down the radio or CD player as the vehicle nears a crossing and asks that passengers quiet down for a few moments until safely across the tracks.  Again, a Maine Operation Lifesaver certified presenter will visit a driver education class for a free presentation or the instructor may play the DVD during any part of classroom learning.

To request a copy, e-mail maineol@roadrunner.com,  phone 207-827-7367,

or mail a note to Maine Operation Lifesaver, 23 Park Street, Old Town, Maine 04468.

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“Makings of a Maine Tragedy”

    

”This unsuspecting group recently ventured illegally onto a railroad trestle in Maine only to be met by a train while caught in the middle.  Notice the “No Trespassing” sign to the right of the tracks just before the bridge which was obviously ignored.”

”Several of the trespassers squeeze onto very small spaces in the middle of the trestle barely escaping very serious injury and likely death as a train rounds the bend approaching the group.  Had they tried to stand on what looks like a sidewalk next to the tracks, they would have been hit by the train which overhangs at least three feet beyond the rails.”

Maine Operation Lifesaver offers free presentations on railroad safety to groups, companies, and organizations statewide. Contact info@maineol.org or call 827-7367
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New PSAs Rolled Out Promoting Rail Safety

Operation Lifesaver has produced and is distributing a new set of television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) nationwide.  They demonstrate to pedestrians and drivers how to use common sense around tracks and trains.  The PSAs use humor to convey a serious message about train safety to young adults and families.  The campaign, entitled “Shark,” compares staying away from railroad property as being just as smart as staying out of shark-infested waters and other dangerous practices.

Click this link www.oli.org/shark to view and listen to the new PSAs.

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FRA Releases Demographic Report on Rail Trespasser Fatalities

Trespassers account for the largest number of fatalities in the railroad industry – approximately 500 per year.  In order to better understand who is trespassing, their locations, and the reasons they are on railroad property, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a report using three years of reported trespasser fatalities.  Medical examiners and coroners across the country were surveyed, and based on the best information available from those who elected to participate in the study, the average trespasser is most often a 38-year-old Caucasian male under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, with a median household income of $36,000.  More than 25 percent did not graduate from high school and 18 percent were determined to be suicides. 

The report, Rail-Trespasser Fatalities: Developing Demographic Profiles, includes a state-by-state breakdown and shows California and Texas recording the highest number of such events.  The report strongly recommends additional demographic analysis to reinforce and expand on these results in order to develop targeted educational and outreach programs and law enforcement initiatives to reduce the number of rail trespassing incidents.

The report is available at
www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/safety/tdreport_final.pdf

Maine Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
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The page was updated on June 28, 2009

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