Transportation partners kick off Rail Safety Week
Salt Lake City—Rail Safety Week begins statewide Monday, September 18, 2023. This year during Rail Safety Week’s Utah Operation Lifesaver, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), the Utah Highway Patrol, Salt Lake City police, the Utah Trucking Association and the Tooele Technical College join forces for a weeklong education campaign about safety around railroad safety.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports more than 5,800 accidents occur each year near railroad crossings, leading to 600 deaths and 2,300 injuries. Rail Safety Week goal is to educate pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers about safe (and unsafe) behavior. A major part of UTA’s overall mission is saving lives by empowering the public to make safer decisions around tracks and trains.
When: Monday, September 18, 2023 at 10 a.m.
Where: Salt Lake Central Station Plaza (The Hub -300 N. 500 W., Salt Lake Cty, Utah)
Who: UTA Chief Operating Officer Cherryl Beveridge
Utah Operation Lifesaver State Coordinator Vern Keeslar UDOT, Rail Division Director Brad Palmer
DPS Utah Highway Safety Office Robyn LaLumia
Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Cameron Roden.
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – UTA Police, Salt Lake City Police, and Utah Highway Patrol will be educating drivers and pedestrians about rail safety at the Midvale Fort Union Station, Central Pointe Station, and Provo Central Station crossings.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – Utah Operation Lifesaver will be welcoming all the new truck drivers from Tooele Technical College into Rail Safety Week with Safety in Seconds Training. The goal is to educate new truck drivers on safety rules near railroads.
Thursday, September 21, 2023 – UTA and our partners will be at the North Temple Station from 4-6 p.m. to hand out Safety in Seconds brochures, water bottles, key chains, and pens. The goal is to educate pedestrians on the 8 Simple Safety rules.
Friday, September 22, 2023 – UTA will be at the following high schools during school and the football games to educate youth about the importance of railroad safety:
- Kearns High School
- West High School
- Woods Cross Elementary
- West Bountiful Elementary
- Lehi High School
- Meadow Elementary (Lehi)
- Independence High School (Provo)
- Freedom Preparatory Middle School (Provo)
- Freedom Preparatory High School (Provo)
- Juab High School (Nephi)
Saturday & Sunday, November 23rd & 24th – UTA wants the public to share ideas for improving rail safety with the rest of the world. UTA will have a variety of prizes available for those who share posts on social media:
Safely take a picture at any railroad crossing or station
Post that picture on any of our social channels:
The Rail Safety team will choose multiple gift card winners
Contact: Carl Arky – Sr. Media Relations Sp. / 801-330-4513 / [email protected]
