HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Every three hours in the United States a person or vehicle is struck by a train according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. (MDOT)
The first National Rail Safety Week (RSW) is part of Operation Lifesaver, Inc. which is a national rail safety education nonprofit that is is working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation and other organizations to promote rail safety.
The goal of RSW is to raise awareness across the United States 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-way.
In Holland, Mayor Nancy DeBoer will be presenting a proclamation to Operation Lifesaver, Inc at the Holland Amtrack station on Wednesday, September 27 at 6:30 a.m. The proclamation is to bring an awareness of rail safety to the citizens in our community.
Preliminary data from the Federal Railroad Administration for Michigan show eight people were killed or injured in vehicle-train collisions in 2016. In addition, 13 pedestrians or trespassers were injured or killed while walking on or near railroad tracks in Michigan last year.
This is National Rail Safety Week, and the presentation is taking place early in the morning so that passengers catching the early train to Chicago may be a part of it.
