Officers are “on-board” to save lives

GREENE & DAVIESS COUNTIES, Ind. (WTHI) – On Tuesday, WISH-TV’s sister station WTHI went aboard a train ride for “Officer on a Train.”

The program is put on by the Indiana Rail Road Company and Indiana Operation Lifesaver. Organizers say the purpose is to educate local law enforcement officers on how to prevent collisions as well as trespassing.

When it comes to potential collisions between a car and a train, officials say the train will always win. That is why it is so important for those behind the wheel of a car to be patient and wait on the train to pass.

It takes conductors and engineers at least a mile, which is the length 18 football fields, to get a train to stop. So even if a train operator sees something ahead, there is no swerving or stopping to avoid hitting it.

For Tuesday’s event, local law enforcement officers were able to see first-hand what conductors deal with every day from impatient drivers to roaming pedestrians. By the end of the day, organizers want law enforcement officers to realize what they’re up against, and to be persistent about helping to enforce train traffic laws.

Indiana Rail Road spokesman Eric Powell says it’s important to realize that while you may not want to wait on a train, you’re putting the lives of the people in your vehicle, as well as inside the train in danger. He says that rail road conductors and engineers take injuring or killing someone in an accident as hard as or possibly harder than that of the families.

Operation Lifesaver says that if you see a problem at a crossing whether it be a stalled vehicle on the tracks, a damaged sign, obstructed view, or signal malfunction, you should report it to the railroad immediately. You can do so by calling the emergency notification number posted on or near the crossing, or by notifying local law enforcement.

There are many ways to keep those outside and inside a train safe, and you can find those safety tips at Operation Life Saver’s website.