TRAINING
When it comes to collisions,
numbers can matter
In the early 1970s, the number of train vs. car
grade crossing collisions was alarming — more
than 12,000 a year. Unimaginable today, thanks to
an aggressive approach by a lot of dedicated peo-
ple. What happened? Well, it started when a group
of Union Pacific Railroad engineers and conduc-
tors formed a group along with law enforcement
and others to really concentrate on finding
THOMAS J. officers
the best strategy to combat the eye-opening num-
JEDIC
bers. It was the origin of today’s Operation Lifesav-
er (OL).
During the last four decades, we’ve accomplished quite a bit.
The number of grade crossing accidents has been reduced to just
over 2,000 a year, a decrease of nearly 83 percent. In police stan-
dards, if you reduced crime by 83 percent, you would go into the
hall of fame! So how did it happen? It goes back to the legendary
3 E’s.
Engineering: Many of the grade crossings of the past are gone,
replaced with elevated rails or roadways with underpasses. In
some cases, transportation departments have elected to remove
roadways that cross the rails altogether. And the crossings that
remain have had vast improvements, better sight lines and more
alerts, signage and warnings.
Education: OL has made education a priority nationwide
since day one. There is a wide array of pamphlets, videos, post-
ers and more. OL has a large roster of safety presenters in every
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ NOVEMBER 2018
state who teach first responders, students, truck and bus drivers
— and anyone else who asks.
Enforcement: Police agencies have developed strategies
working with railroads, railroad police departments and OL and
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) assistance, honing their
skillset regarding railroad infractions. But there’s still work to do.
Trespassing casualties have and will always be a problem that
needs addressing. In New Jersey in 2017, there were 39 incidents
that included 25 deaths and 14 injuries. Those numbers placed
us sixth in the U.S., a list we don’t aspire to be on. New Jersey
has quite a number of rail assets and the concentration of both
freight and passenger trains always presents a problem.
That’s where we come in. Police departments in New Jersey
are lucky to have one of the best Operation Lifesaver chapters in
the nation. Take advantage of all of the programs, posters, mate-
rials and training resources at your fingertips. Visit www.oli.org
to check out the library of of resources and schedule a training
class or school presentation. Take part in any of the numerous
online training exercises, too.
Every month I urge all of you to contact me to start the process
of using OL materials. So let’s start proactive rail safety, instead of
reactive after a serious event takes place. As always, be safe and
reach out for any assistance you need.
Special Agent Thomas Jedic is a member of Norfolk Southern Rail-
road Police Special Operations Response Team (SORT) and an ex-
ecutive board member of NJ Operation Lifesaver.