5 Things to Remember While Crossing the Tracks

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    5 things to remember while crossing the tracks

    Halloween is just around the corner, and many trick-or-treaters will be scouring their neighborhoods for candy. It’s important to remember railroad safety tips during this time, especially in the dark! A topic occasionally overlooked, rail accidents (either trespassing or at a crossing) account for more than 700 deaths in the U.S. each year. In order to combat this startling statistic, Norfolk Southern began its “Train Your Brain” safety campaign in 2007 to warn motorists and residents about the dangers of illegally crossing the tracks.

    The campaign has travelled about North and South Carolina this summer and this Saturday will be in Gamecock Village prior to the University of South Carolina football game vs. Tennessee. Campaign mascot Brainy is a happy, pink brain intended to be a walking illustration for Columbians to always keep railroad safety in mind. Brainy will offer tailgaters fun photo opportunities and branded giveaways such as coloring books, notebooks and t-shirts.

    brainy and friends

    In case you miss Brainy at the tailgate this year, here are important tips and facts to keep in mind while crossing the tracks:

    • Only cross at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings with a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate. This is the only safe place to cross a railroad track. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined.
    • Always expect a train! It can take a mile or more (18 football fields!) to stop a train, so even if a locomotive engineer suddenly sees someone on the tracks, they will likely be unable to stop in time.
    • If you see a train coming, wait! Flashing lights or a lowering gate means a train is fast approaching. Do not proceed until the gates go completely up and the lights quit flashing. It is illegal to go around lowered gates, whether on a bike, on foot or in a vehicle.
    • Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. A second train might be blocked by the first. Trains can come from either direction. Wait until you can see clearly around the first train in both directions.
    • If your vehicle ever stalls on a track with a train coming, get out immediately and move away from the tracks but toward the train. If you run in the same direction the train is traveling, you could be injured by debris when the train hits your car.

    To learn more about Brainy and the “Train Your Brain” campaign, please visit www.brainysworld.com or www.Facebook.com/BrainysWorld.

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    Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

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