Texting & Trains: Two Separate Traffic Dangers
During the first week of October, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation issued two press releases announcing new public safety campaigns addressing traffic dangers associated with train crossings and distracted driving.
Stop. Trains Can’t.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) manage this train safety public safety campaign. It will run through the first week of November 2020. The $6.6 million campaign will air nationally on social media and radio to educate drivers not to take dangerous risks at rail crossings. The ads will also target highway-railway crossings deemed high-risk in California, Arizona, Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee.
The campaign is designed to save lives by raising awareness of preventable highway-railway crossing collisions. Technology is evolving to help reduce rail crossing fatalities, but driver awareness has been identified as the critical factor in decreasing the death rate. Because a train cannot stop on a dime or swerve out of the way, it is up to vehicle drivers to use caution and obey all warning signals and descending gate arms. Trying to beat a train across the tracks can cost you your life.
Fatalities over the past five years of people driving across railroad tracks total 798. Approximately 75% of those fatalities involve a driver attempting to go around the lowered arms of a crossing gate.
Watch the YouTube video from the FRA released as part of the 2019 Stop. Trains Can’t campaign.
U Drive. U Text. U Pay
Another public awareness safety campaign announced by the NHTSA last week is part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Week. The “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign has a budget of $5 million. It targets high-visibility areas, alerting drivers that law enforcement officers will be looking for drivers using their mobile phones or texting while operating a vehicle.
Approximately 400,000 people were injured, and 2,841 people were killed in 2018 due to distracted driving. Even if your car has the most technologically advanced driver assistance options, taking your eyes and attention off the road is still dangerous.
This is the seventh year of the U Drive U Text U Pay campaign, including ads in English and Spanish on radio, television, and digital platforms. The ads will be aimed at the highest-risk category of drivers, those aged 18 to 34.
The campaign offers tips to prevent distracted driving tragedies, such as:
- Put all electronic devices out of reach before you even begin to drive to eliminate the temptation to use the device en route.
- Parents – be a good role model for young drivers. Set a safe example by refraining from using your phone in the vehicle, and keep an open dialogue about responsible driving.
- Speak up when a driver uses an electronic device while operating a vehicle. Offer to text or call on the driver’s behalf so they can keep their full attention on the road.
Vacaville Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello, thanks for reading. I’m Ed Smith, a Vacaville personal injury lawyer. Vacaville experiences many automobile accidents, given its location and traffic volume. Negligent drivers are a problem on all of our Northern California highways. If you or anyone you love has suffered injuries in a crash caused by a careless driver, please contact my office for free and friendly legal advice. We can set up a no-obligation consultation to determine your claim’s best course of action. Give us a call at (707) 564-1900. We also have a toll-free line if you call outside the 707 area code – (800) 404-5400.
For close to 40 years, I have advocated for injured Vacaville residents. Here is a link to some of my firm’s successful case results. Many of my prior clients have written reviews of our legal services; they can be accessed via the links listed below:
Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/photos/railroad-crossing-sign-train-railway-1008168/
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