Drivers who don’t clear the railroad tracks when stopping their vehicles were educated by police on the dangers and consequences of trespassing on railroad property as part of Operation Clear Track on Tuesday.
By Mary O’KEEFE
On Tuesday, Glendale police participated in the nationwide train safety awareness program Operation Clear Track. Officers were positioned near various railroad crossings to educate drivers, and pedestrians, on how dangerous it can be to stop their vehicle on the railroad tracks, explained Sgt. Kevin Hirano, GPD Traffic Bureau.
Motorcycle officers were located at San Fernando Road and Doran Street and San Fernando Road and Broadway Avenue. Officers pulled over several drivers because they had stopped their vehicle on the railroad tracks; one person was driving a large truck. When he stopped for a traffic light, the rear part of his truck was still on the tracks. He was pulled over by police shortly before a Metrolink train passed through the crossing.
Operation Clear Track is a partnership between Amtrak and law enforcement agencies to raise awareness and enforce railroad grade crossing and trespassing laws.
The event on Tuesday was the largest single-day railroad safety law enforcement initiative in the U.S. The day is part of the weeklong awareness campaign U.S. Rail Safety Week.
“It’s critical that citizens in every corner of the country fully understand the dangers and consequences of trespassing on railroad property,” Amtrak Police Chief Neil Trugman stated in a release from Amtrak. “By mobilizing our forces, we hope to raise awareness, save lives and prevent injuries along the railroad rights-of-way from coast to coast.”
According to Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI), about 2,000 people nationwide every year are killed or injured in grade crossing and trespassing incidents. Every three hours, a person or vehicle is hit by a train.
California in 2017 had 166 collisions at rail grade crossings resulting in 38 deaths and 57 injuries. California’s fatality rate is the highest in the nation. Nationwide in 2016 there were1,080 pedestrian rail trespass casualties, including fatalities and injuries, that occurred in 2016. Once again, in 2016 California led the nation with 214 total casualties resulting in 124 deaths and 91 injuries, according to OLI.
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