Thirty-five rail crossing collisions and five fatalities are the average each year in the State of Missouri. The state has about 4,800 miles of railroad tracks across the state and about 73,000 public and private railroad crossings in Missouri.
This is Rail Safety Week, an opportunity to raise awareness of the need for rail safety education and empower the general public to keep themselves safe near highway-rail grade crossings and railroad rights-of-ways.
To promote rail safety in Missouri, MoDOT wants everyone, particularly motorists, to remember a few simple facts about Railroads and trains.
- Freight trains don’t follow published schedules; always expect a train.
- A typical freight train can take more than a mile to stop.
- The train you see is likely closer and moving faster than you think.
- The only safe place to cross the tracks is at a designated crossing.
- Being on railroad tracks and property is not only dangerous – it’s illegal.
