Operation Lifesaver Offers Six Tips for Safe Biking Near Train Tracks

04/01/2009

ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 1, 2009 - Spring is here, and more bicyclists are taking to roads and trails. Operation Lifesaver (OL) urges biking enthusiasts of all ages to ride safely when at railroad crossings or near train tracks. Last year, more than 880 people were killed or injured in the U.S. while illegally walking, bicycling, or otherwise playing on railroad tracks or property. 

“We urge all bicyclists to be as careful at railroad crossings as they are when cycling along busy streets," notes Operation Lifesaver President Helen M. Sramek.

Operation Lifesaver offers bicyclists six tips for safety near train tracks:

1)    Be alert - always expect a train any time, at any crossing on your route.

2)    Bicycle wheels can get caught in train tracks. Always try to cross at a 90 degree angle to the tracks, and if your approach is at less than a 45 degree angle, dismount and walk your bike across.

3)    Look both ways before crossing train tracks - one train may have passed but another could be behind it, or coming from the opposite direction on the next track.

4)    You can't accurately gauge the speed of a moving train. An optical illusion makes trains appear to be farther away and slower-moving than they are.

5)    Trains are wider than their tracks. To avoid being struck by anything hanging from the train (or dragged by anything hanging from you), keep yourself and your bike at least 15 feet from the tracks and behind any gates or "stop lines" marked on the pavement.

6)    It is not only dangerous; it is illegal to go around lowered railroad crossing arms, whether on foot, in a car, or on a bicycle.

Operation Lifesaver offers a free flyer with these and other tips for bicyclists. To receive a copy, send an email to general@oli.org and include “bike safety tips” in the subject line, or call 1-800-537-6224.

About Operation Lifesaver

Operation Lifesaver is a national, non-profit safety education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way.  Trained and certified OL presenters throughout the U.S. and Canada give free safety talks to community groups, schools, school bus drivers, truck drivers and community organizations to raise awareness of the need for caution around railroad tracks and trains. More information can be found at www.oli.org.

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