Staying safe on and around train tracks will be top of mind for officers with the Canadian Pacific Railway this week as they promote Rail Safety Week across North America.
This year's theme is "Stop Track Tragedies" with a specific focus on a different aspect of rail safety each day.
Sergeant Ron Kirst said it is important for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to stop, look, and listen because it takes a long time for trains to slow down and even longer to completely stop.
"If [train operators] see something at a crossing and they have to apply their emergency brake, the best they can hope for is to stop at a mile and a half (2.4 kilometres)," said Kirst. "It's a scary thing for a crew to see vehicles up on the tracks or vehicles trying to race the trains to get over the crossing because there's not much they can do."
The Chatham-Kent area is no stranger to recent rail-related crashes.
In March, a 54-year-old Chatham woman died after a VIA Rail train hit her SUV as she was heading south on Keil Drive in Chatham. There were also two train crashes in CK in the span of just over a week in October 2018. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in either of those incidents.
In order to prevent further incidents, this year's campaign is focusing on a different safety aspect each day of the week, including trespass prevention, distracted driving, pedestrian/bicycle safety, and crossing safety. Officials are also reminding people not to take photos or videos on the tracks.
Because Chatham-Kent also has a number of rural crossings, Kirst has some safety tips for approaching areas where there are no lights or crossing arms.
"We would like to see people come to a complete stop, look both ways, and then proceed over the crossing," said Kirst. "Unfortunately, we've had a few accidents in the last few years out in the rural areas... people become complacent and they get used to not seeing a train and they'll just drive over the crossings without making the extra effort."
And when it comes to malfunctioning lights or crossing arms, Kirst is reminding drivers that it is never OK to drive through a crossing when the gates are down and the lights are flashing -- even if you don't see or hear a train coming.
"Once those gates are down, you are never to go around those gates... the expectation is that you are going to find another route," said Kirst, adding you can call 1-800-716-9132 to report the malfunction. "That gives us the opportunity to become aware of the situation and get a crew dispatched as quickly as possible to get out there and take care of the situation."
Rail Safety Week runs from September 22-28, 2019. You can find more information by clicking here.
