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Target Audience This program is directed at professional school bus drivers and substitute drivers. Its purpose is to make them aware of the potential dangers that exist at highway-rail grade crossings and the steps to ensure the safety of their passengers as well as their own.

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. The program is sponsored by Operation Lifesaver, Inc., a nationwide, nonprofit public information organization dedicated to reducing collisions, injuries and fatalities at highway-rail grade crossings as well as discouraging trespassing on tracks and trestles. Operation Lifesaver programs exist in 49 states and have contributed significantly to a 50 percent reduction in crashes and casualties since 1972, despite an increase in traffic at these intersections.

Goal The goal for this training/awareness program is to illustrate the potential dangers that await school buses at highway-rail crossings. Under no circumstance is it ever reasonable to attempt to cross the tracks if a train is approaching because trains are not able to stop quickly. This program will reinforce this concept. In addition, driving around lowered gates and flashing lights is against the law. If a collission occurs, the driver is legally liable for any deaths or injuries or damage to those around that result due to negligence.

Recommended Time Frame For Training Module (60 minutes)

PRESCREENING DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Elicit the class's reactions to everday driving experiences. Determine whether they have ever thought about the consequences of ignoring the gates and lights at grade crossings.

2. Ask how they know their route, stress factors, expectations, present safety habits they practice and other decisions on the route.

3. Discuss differences between rural and urban driving and if there are any differences in railroad crossings between the two.

4. Explore their present recognition of warning devices at railroad crossings and their meaning.

5. Discuss the storage problem of school buses in various crossing situations. Give examples.

6. How clear are they about the size of their bus in relation to clearing the tracks -- how do they approach more than one set of tracks with stop signals following them or two or more tracks with varying spaces between them.

7. Have they ever tried to "beat the train" personally, or have they ever taken their bus around the gates? (They can answer silently.)

8. Can they differentiate trains from other vehicular traffic, particularly if they've been trained that traffic is supposed to stop for them?

9. Can they judge the speed of trains or how far away the train looks as it approaches the crossing?

10. Do they understand that with increased freight traffic and irregular schedules they should always expect a train?

VIDEO NOTES

Featured Incidient

The video opens with news footage of Fox River Grove, Illinois school bus collision with a train.

Featured Players

Operation Lifesaver plus Pupil Transportation groups brought together school bus drivers, Bette Norris and David Lines, and locomotive engineer, John Underwood. John takes a ride with Bette on her empty school bus, and both Bette and David ride in the cab of the locomotive with John. Such circumstances allowed these professional drivers to experience each other's perspectives.

STUDENT NOTES ON PREVENTING COLLISIONS

Warning devices

There are a number of advance warning signs that are there to warn motorists of a potential danger. For professional drivers, they can serve as a reminder when there are other matters demanding their concentration.

1. Round Yellow Warning Sign
A round black on yellow warning sign is placed ahead of a public crossing. Apply brakes while waiting so that you won't move or be shoved into the path of the train.

2. Crossbuck Sign
The most familiar sign at a highway-rail grade crossing is the crossbuck. It marks the crossing and serves the same purpose as a yeild sign.

3. Pavement Markings Pavement markings in advance of a grade crossing consist of an "X" with the letter "R" to the left and right of it and a "No Passsing" sign on two-lane roads.

4. Multiple Sets of Tracks Crossings with two or more sets of tracks pose a special risk. The number of tracks is sometimes posted on a sign below the crossbuck. There is the potential of a second train, hidden by the first, approaching on a different track coming from either direction. Additional trains can be coming from either direction depending on the crossing.

5. Stop Sign Stop signs mean the same as they do at regular intersections.

6. Gates/Lights When the lights are flashing, assume a train is approaching. Once the gates begin to come down or are in place, it means that a train is imminent. It is completely unsafe to cross and is against the law. If you cross, you will be legally liable for any deaths or injuries to your students or damage to those around you.

7. Osbtructed View of Tracks Do not attempt to cross the tracks until you are certain that no trains are approaching. Even if the railroad signals indicate the tracks are clear, you must look and listen to be sure it is safe to proceed. Also if you are driving a standard transmission, do not change gears while crossing the tracks.

8. Flagman/Police at Crossing If a police office or flagman is present at the crossing, obey directions. If there is no flagman, and you believe the signals are malfunctioning, do not proceed. Call your dispatcher to reach the police. Some crossings have an 800 number posted to call for help.

Train Speeds

A freight train going 50 miles per hour takes over a mile and a half to stop. That represents almost 25 football fields to stop the train.

HIGHWAY-RAIL CROSSING FACTS

In 1994, 610 people were killed and 1,923 seriously injured in 4,921 highway-rail grade crossing collisions*

• 529 people were killed while trespassing on railroad right-of-way and property
• about every 90 minutes a vehicle and train collide in the United States
• a motorist is 30 times more likely to die in a crash involving a train than in a collision involving another motor vehicle
• there are over 280,000 highway-rail grade crossings in the United States
• more people die in highway-rail crashes every year than in commercial airline crashes in an average year
• over 50 percent of crashes at public grade crossings occur where active warning devices (gates, lights, bells) exist
• most vehicle-train crashes occur within 25 miles of the motorist's home
• trains cannot stop quickly:
  150-car freight train approximate stopping distance
  50 mph = 8,000 feet or 1-1/2 miles or the equivalent of 25 football fields
• the majority of highway-rail crashes occur when the train is traveling less than 30 mph
• railroad tracks, yards and equipment are private property and trespassers are subject to arrest and fines
• * Preliminary Federal Railroad Administration figures total 1994.
  For updated figures call 1 800 537-6224

ANSWER KEY TO SAFETY QUIZ

RESOURCES

Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
1420 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
1-800 537-6224

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-9550

Federal Railroad Administration
Office of Safety
Washington, DC 20594
202-366-0533

Federal Highway Administration
Office of Highway Administration
HHS-20
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-1153

Federal Transit Administration
Washington, DC 20596
202-366-0196

National School Transportation Association
6213 Old Keene Mill Court
PO Box 2639
Springfield, VA 22152
703-644-0700

National Association for Pupil Transportation
120 Washington Ave., Suite 100
Albany, NY 12210
1-800-989-NAPT

National Assocation of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services
116 Howe Drive
Dover, DE 19901
1-800-585-0340

HIGHWAY-RAIL TERMS

• Highway-Rail Grade Crossing - the general area where a roadway intersects a railway.
• Public Grade Crossing - a highway-rail grade crossing where the roadway is under the jurisdiction of and maintained by a public authority.
• Private Grade Crossing - an at-grade crossing where the highway is privately owned and is intended for use by the owner or by the owner's licensees and invitees. It is not intended for public use and is not maintained by a public highway authority.
• Number of Highway-Rail Grade Crossings (1993)
  • Public - 168,116
  • Private - 108,352
• Traffic Control Devices - all signs, signals, markings and devices placed on, over or adjacent to a street or highway by authority of public body or official having jurisdiction to regulate, warn or guide traffic.
• Highway-Rail Crossing Warning Systems - Traffic control devices placed on or adjacent to a highway at, or in advance of, a crossing, including pavement markings and circuitry.
• Active Highway-Rail Crossing Devices - Traffic control devices which give positive notice to highway users of the approach or presence of a train. Active devices include flashing light signals, automatic gates, and other similar devices activated by a train passing over a detection circuit or, in some instances, by manually operated devices.
• Passive Warning Devices - Nonelectric traffic control devices including signs, markings and other devices located at or in advance of a crossing to indicate the presence of a crossing. The purpose is to alert highway users to prepare for and take appropriate evasive action. Passive warning devices include:
  
  • Crossbucks - white reflectorized X-shaped signs with "RAILROAD CROSSING" in black lettering, located alongside the roadway at railroad tracks. Crossbucks should be viewed as a yield sign.
  • Advance Warning Sign - a round yellow sign with R X R. It is located alongside the highway in advance of the crossing and is designed to notify a motorist of a highway-rail crossing ahead.
  • Pavement Markings - markings in advance of the crossing, usually with the legend R X R set into the surface of or applied or attached to the pavement for the purpose of advising, warning or guiding traffic.
• Public At-Grade Crossings by Warning Device (1993)
  Crossbucks (passive) - 85,440
  Lights (active) - 29,645
  Gates (active) - 28,139
  Other (passive & active) - 17,588

Sources:

Federal Highway Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Operation Lifesaver Inc., Uniform Vehicle Code and Model Traffic Ordinance

"The Responsibility is Ours - Instructor Notes" is reproduced with the permission of Operation Lifesaver