A train hits someone in America every 115 minutes, often with fatal results. According to Operation Lifesaver, a national non-profit organization, nearly 2,000 Americans are killed and injured at highway/rail grade crossings each year. This number is greater than people dying in commercial and general aviation crashes combined. In 2003, 2,919 collisions occurred at railroad crossings resulting in 324 deaths. (Federal Railroad Administration.) There are many simple and life-saving practices to help you avoid a confrontation with a train at a railroad crossing.

Pedestrians (walking or riding a bicycle) and Vehicles

• Remember that any time is train time. Trains do not travel on a predictable schedule. Always expect a train at every street-rail intersection.

• Train tracks are private property, no matter which railroad owns them. Trains have the right of way 100% of the time — over ambulances, fire engines, cars, the police and pedestrians.

• A typical locomotive weighs approximately 400,000 pounds or 200 tons. When 100 railcars are added to the locomotive, the train can weigh approximately 6,000 tons.

• The weight ratio of an automobile to a train is proportional to a soda can and an automobile.

• Trains cannot stop quickly. It is a simple law of physics: the huge weight and size of the train and the speed of the train dictate how quickly it can stop under ideal conditions. A 100-car freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour will need more than a mile to stop — that's approximately 18 football fields — once the train is set into emergency braking.

• Trains can move in either direction at any time. Trains are sometimes pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled.

• Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no telltale "clackety-clack."

• Don’t be fooled by the optical illusion presented by the train. It is always moving faster and is much closer than you think.

Pedestrians (walking or riding a bicycle)

• When crossing a track look both ways—TWICE!

• When crossing a track listen for whistles or bells.

• A train may extend three feet or more outside the steel rail, which makes the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the rails themselves.

• Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. Observe and obey all warning signs and signals.

• Never walk down a train track; it's illegal and it's dangerous. By the time a locomotive engineer can see a trespasser or a vehicle on the tracks, it is too late. The train cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.

• Always yield to flashing lights, whistles, closing gates, crossbucks or stop signs.

• Teach children that the railroad is never a place to play, walk, run, bike ride, or use as a short cut. Don’t fish from railroad bridges either.

• Always cross the tracks at the designated railroad crossing or pedestrian crossing.

Vehicles

• Slow down when approaching a railroad crossing and look both ways—TWICE!

• Never race a train to cross the tracks.

• Never pass another vehicle within 100 feet of a railroad crossing. Watch out for vehicles that MUST stop at railroad crossings, like school buses or trucks carrying hazardous materials.

• When approaching a crossing, roll down your windows, turn off the radio or air conditioner, and listen for whistles or bells.

• Never shift gears on the railroad crossing, downshift before you reach it.

• If you must stop, keep a distance of 15 to 50 feet from the tracks. Since the tracks are four feet eight and a half inches wide, and the train hangs three feet past the rails on each side, be sure to leave enough space between your vehicle and the tracks.

• Always yield to flashing lights, whistles, closing gates, crossbucks or stop signs.

• Only use the crossing if you can be sure your vehicle is high enough to completely clear the railroad crossing without stopping.

Remember: Rail and recreation don’t mix! Information from: oli.org