WASHINGTON, D.C. – Every three hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States. It happens more frequently than any of us realize. Always expect a train, said Operation Lifesaver, Inc.

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), the national, non-profit rail safety education organization, is releasing new rail safety resources to help farmers and farm machine operators stay safe and avoid incidents around railroad tracks and trains. OLI is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022.

“We want farmers and farm machine operators to always expect a train, even on private property,” said OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh.

 It’s important to recognize where it’s safe to cross, said Moriah Whiteman, OLI’s manager of education, training and volunteer support. Everyone should have a heightened sense of awareness when they’re approaching railroad tracks. Consider your equipment and how that can impact the speed at which you’re moving. Think of how wide and long the equipment is, know that it can completely clear the tracks.

“We also want to consider the amount of distraction,” Whiteman said. “Just having your radio on inside the cab of a truck – you want to minimize distractions. Maybe turn the radio off or just a little lower, or as you approach the tracks, or roll down the window a little. Trains move a lot faster and are a lot quieter than you think.”

It is also important that when at tracks, you should always expect a train, added Jennifer DeAngelis, OLI director of communications and marketing. Everyone tends to get a little complacent. You never see a train as you’re traveling to work every day, so you don’t expect there to be a train.

“Whenever you see railroad tracks, think train,” DeAngelis said. “Trains, especially freight trains, can come at any time on any track in any direction. Just because you’ve never seen one there before doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be one. Also, trains are a lot quieter than we think they are. Forty years ago, you could hear the train and feel the train. Nowadays, trains are much quieter and moving much faster than they used to.”

OLI partners with the American Farm Bureau and Whiteman worked with subject matter experts at the national level, including 4-H and FFA members, to develop public service announcements. They are available in English and Spanish and include audio and visual rail safety education presentations.

“We had returned to this idea of grassroots, not just in a political way, but the way that we make our communities safe and strong and to thrive is through individuals,” Whiteman said. “Every community is different. We want to start with volunteers, increase public awareness that this train that runs through here is a critical part, and what you can do for safety and to thrive by attending presentations and deciding to make a choice.”

OLI offers free safety presentations across the nation. If a working farm would like a presenter to come with a free safety presentation specific to their community, they can find the information at oli.org. Audio and visual public service announcements can be found there and rail safety education presentations, lesson plans and handout material for junior and senior level students, including for 4-H and FFA members.