Rail Safety Week may have officially come to an end Sunday, but the message of safety around crossings has not. Rachel Maleh, Executive Director of Operation Lifesaver said the number of incidents that happen at rail crossings nationwide each year is staggering.

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“Every three hours there is an incident, either a person or a vehicle is struck in the United States. And according to the Federal Railroad Administration, in 2020, just under 2,000 grade crossing incidents happened, which resulted in 198 deaths and 688 injuries. That's really too much.”

Maleh said farm and ranch crossings are typically private with no safety equipment, bringing additional dangers.

“And approximately 15% of all crossing collisions happen at a private railroad crossing each year, so it's especially important that drivers of farm vehicles are aware, they look both ways, they don't commit to the crossing if they can't quickly clear the crossing, and we also don't want them to get stuck in their farm equipment on the railroad track.”

Operation Lifesaver is a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., with programs in 46 states as well as the District of Columbia. Click Here to learn about Operation Lifesaver.

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