Spotlight shines on Rail Safety with Wisconsin Rail Safety Week

Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner Jeff Plale and State Operation Lifesaver Coordinator Susie Klinger are traveling around the state this week to highlight the importance of safety at rail crossings and near the tracks. Along the way, they will be joined by law enforcement officials, representatives from the Federal Rail Administration (FRA), employees and managers from Wisconsin railroads and community leaders. Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Mark Gottlieb will join them on June 4 in Madison.

Currently, there are 4,500 at-grade railroad crossings throughout the state. Gottlieb and Plale together emphasized that the goal is to make sure that each and every crossing is as safe as it can possibly be. This is achieved through a combination of engineering, enforcement and education.

In 2014, there were 52 highway/railroad grade crossing crashes in Wisconsin; there were 10 fatalities. Another 17 people were injured. Such crashes are more severe than highway collisions and are 20 times more likely to result in death or serious injury. Additionally, there were seven pedestrian/trespasser incidents that resulted in four fatalities; two people were injured.

Plale noted that the safety at crossings and around tracks has been improving in recent years, “but it can always get better…until we’re at zero deaths.”