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Will a National Train Safety Campaign Help Reduce the Number of Fatal Train Accidents in California?

Most Californians do not think of train accidents as a serious problem. While it is true that train accidents are much less common than other vehicle accidents, it is also true that a train accident is much more likely to be deadly than other types of vehicle accidents. This is why several government agencies are working together to reduce the overall train accident injuries and deaths – but will it help Californians? Keep reading to find out and then contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you or a loved one has suffered in a train accident.

California Has Several High-Risk Highway-Railway Crossings

Elaine L. Chao, the Secretary of Transportation, has launched an initiative called “Stop. Trains Can’t.” It is currently running and will run through November 8th. Though it is being run nationally, there are special targets on the highest-risk states with especially dangerous highway-railway crossings. This includes not only California but Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Indiana, and Tennessee too.

The Campaign Cost More than $6.5 Million Dollars

According to Chao, many train deaths are entirely preventable. Her and her agency hope that the $6.6 million safety campaign will help reduce those deaths. It will run on the radio, digitally, and on social media. The goal is to educate drivers that they should not gamble when they are at railroad crossings. The attempt is a joint effort from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Technology Can Help Reduce Train Accidents But it is Not Enough

Ronald L. Batory, the head of the FRA, says that there is a new technology that can help reduce the number of train accidents and how fatal they are. However, he also points out that these technologies cannot prevent all train accidents. “A train can’t swerve out of the way or stop on a dime,” he says. This is why drivers must always look both directions across the train tracks before crossing them and obey all warning signals or crossing gate arms. An attempt to beat the train could turn deadly very quickly.

The Statistics on Train Accidents Make It Clear That Help is Needed

In the past five years, nearly 800 people have died while trying to drive across railroad tracks. In just 2019, 126 people died, and more than 630 were injured at these crossings. 75% of those who died were people who drove around the lowered crossing gate arms. Experts say that if some of these people knew how common train accidents were, they might not have made the same choices.

At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we hope this campaign will be successful, but nothing is going to reduce accidents to zero. If you have lost a loved one in a train accident, or any other type of vehicle accident, contact us at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.