RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to be safe at railroad crossings as part of today’s International Level Crossing Awareness Day, or ILCAD 2019.
As part of its BeRailSafe program, NCDOT is hosting a crossing blitz today in Gibsonville to educate drivers about the dangers of not stopping for trains. The crossing blitz is like a license check, as drivers will be provided with rail safety driving tips and railroad safety crossing data.
North Carolina reported 57 of the 2,214 collisions nationwide between trains and vehicles in 2018. This year, there have been 22 railroad crossing crashes in the Tar Heel State.
NCDOT’s BeRailSafe program wants drivers to remember the following lifesaving tips when approaching a railroad crossing:
- Always expect a train at every highway-rail intersection;
- Trains always have the right-of-way, even when emergency and law enforcement vehicles are involved;
- Always stop your vehicle when crossing gates are down or lights are flashing. Never try to drive around the gate;
- Never stop your car on railroad tracks. When approaching an intersection at railroad tracks, keep your car safely behind the white lines; and
- Never race a train to a crossing.
Now in its eleventh year, ILCAD aims to prevent collisions between vehicles and trains at railroad crossings, which are referred to outside the U.S. as level crossings.