EDUCATION EFFORTS TO REDUCE RAILWAY FATALITIES 

Noteworthy Practice

An Abundance of Innovative Resources and Ideas 

Incorrect driver behavior is the number one reason for railway crossing collisions. 

According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), an annual average of 

1,790 collisions and 222 fatalities occurred at public railway-highway crossings 

from 2009-2018.1 

Education is an effective way to help reduce these numbers and ensure drivers, 

pedestrians, and emergency responders are aware of the dangers of being 

on and around railroad tracks. Many States and organizations are producing 

engaging and effective outreach strategies emphasizing that it is not only what

you say—it is how you say it and who you say it to.

Education and Outreach Partnership

Operation Lifesaver (OLI) is a nonprofit 

organization providing public education 

programs in States to prevent collisions, injuries, 

and fatalities on and around railroad tracks. 

OLI offers numerous resources for States and 

communities to help improve safety around 

railroads. OLI believes in the power of telling a 

targeted and intentional story about rail safety. 

Its year-round communication efforts involve 

outreach nationwide including 44 States and 

the District of Columbia. OLI provides public 

awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and 

training for professional drivers, law enforcement, 

and emergency responders. OLI’s State 

coordinators also offer free safety presentations to communities through their 

network of volunteers.

One example of OLI’s education efforts demonstrated a poignant message. The 

State OLI program of North Carolina partnered with North Carolina Department 

of Transportation (NCDOT) to perform and record a staged crash between a 

vehicle and a train.2

 The train was traveling at 25 mph, well below typical speeds 

for freight and passenger trains. The mock crash demonstrated the damage 

caused when a train collides with a motor vehicle, and the potential for fatal 

or serious injuries to the driver and passengers, even at this lower speed. The 

dramatic live demonstration and resulting videos were an innovative way for OLI 

and NCDOT to educate about the danger near railroads. 

1 Federal Railroad Administration Dashboard web site,, accessed February 2020, http://www.fra.dot.

gov/gxdash.

2 NCDOT, “Crash Simulation Drone,” https://vimeo.com/272650324, and “Train vs Car Crash 

Simulation,” https://vimeo.com/272644314, Vimeo videos, accessed October 2019.

1,790

222

Annual average of collisions 

at public railway-highway 

crossings

Annual average of fatalities 

at public railway-highway 

crossings

Photo source: phlens, iStockEditorial/Getty Images Plus

Source: NCDOT

Mock crash videos demonstrate 

importance of railroad safety.
EDUCATION EFFORTS TO REDUCE RAILWAY FATALITIES 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov

FHWA-SA-19-038

3 These materials can be found on Operation Lifesaver’s website, 

https://oli.org/materials.

4 FRA, In Depth Analysis of Grade Crossing Accidents Resulting in Injuries 

and Fatalities, (Washington, DC: USDOT, May 2017).

5 Operation Lifesaver, “Ryan’s Brain videos,” accessed October 2019, 

https://oli.org/safety-near-trains/driving-safely-near-tracks/new-drivers.

6 Iowa DOT, “Brief Bother Big Benefit - You Can Detour, Trains Can’t,” 

YouTube video, accessed October 2019, https://youtu.be/f2eOfynbmNk. 

7 Kevin Burns (Connecticut Department of Transportation), phone 

interview, October 25, 2019. 

8 National Safety Council, “Never Attempt to Beat a Train,” YouTube video, 

accessed October 2019, https://youtu.be/9etFdBu_urA.

Railroad Safety Campaigns

NCDOT’s efforts go beyond the mock train crash demonstration to create a railroad safety campaign. 

North Carolina branded its campaign BeRailSafe and developed a dedicated web page to provide 

tools for communicating the risks associated with railways. The web page features targeted outreach 

materials, including safety tips, public outreach campaign information, and free first responder 

training. BeRailSafe resources are grouped by target audience, including children, adults, and first 

responders, making it easy to find the right piece of outreach material for the right audience. 

A national campaign called Stop. Trains Can’t was launched in 2017 by FRA and the National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The goal of the 3-year campaign is to increase 

public awareness and reduce crossing deaths and injuries around railroad tracks. The campaign 

features visually engaging and downloadable banners, fact sheets, animated graphic interchange 

formats (GIFs), radio ads, media buy plans, infographics, example news releases, and other 

communications material templates. The materials are provided in both English and Spanish, 

allowing the campaign to reach a wide audience.

Targeted Approach

The State OLI programs of Georgia and Kansas created materials 

targeting professional photographers to educate about unsafe 

photography practices around railroad tracks. In addition 

to targeting photographers, Kansas also created a flyer to 

specifically inform high school officials about the dangers and 

legality of seniors posing on or near railroad tracks for yearbook 

portraits. It encourages schools to not accept or publish 

yearbook portraits taken on railroad property.3 

The FRA found that 59 percent of grade crossing crashes 

involve drivers between the ages of 20 and 49.4 To target 

such an important demographic, the State OLI program 

of Wyoming placed advertisements in event programs for 

Professional Bull Riders Association competitions, which 

typically attract this high-risk group in their State.

Video Outreach

With teens spending numerous hours a day watching 

videos on mobile phones, a video-based campaign is an 

effective way to reach teen drivers. Keeping that in mind, 

OLI created a video series called Ryan’s Brain5 to educate 

new drivers about safe ways to interact with railways. The 

videos provide train facts, information about what to do at 

crossings, and how to drive near trains. 

States and other transportation organizations are also creating 

videos to grab the attention of targeted audiences. Some 

noteworthy videos include: 

• Iowa Department of Transportation created an 

infographic-style video to demonstrate the value of freight 

trains to the public and remind drivers that while they 

have the ability to detour, train conductors do not.6

• Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) 

Operation Lifesaver Program partners with schools to 

do safety presentations for school bus drivers, teens, 

and children. A variety of videos, ranging from cartoons 

to deadly crashes, are used to help convey the safety 

message. CTDOT also partners with the Department of 

Motor Vehicles to display OLI rail safety education videos.7

• The National Safety Council created a provocative video

showing past crashes to encourage drivers to respect the 

speed of a trains.8

Ryan’s Brain videos educate young drivers. Source: OLI

Source: NCDOT