cccc ooo n n ssss u u mm mm eeee rrrr c o o nn n s u u m m m m e r r c o o n n n sss u u m m m eee rrrr c o o n nn s u u m m m e r r cccc ooo n n ssss uuu m m eeee r r a dddd v v i ssss ooo rrrr y y a a d d v v i s o o r r y y aaaaa d d v v i sss o o rrrr y a a d d v i s o o r r y a a dddd v i ssss ooo r r y CONTACT: Armando Rendon April 21, 1997 415-703-1366 CPUC URGES CAUTION AT RAILROAD CROSSINGS The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) urges everyone to save lives by taking extra care at the highway- railroad crossings where many of the state's rail-related deaths occur. Today, the CPUC helps kick off Operation Lifesaver Week which aims to alert Californians about safety at rail crossings. Each year, some 20 to 40 deaths and many more injuries occur in California because drivers of autos or trucks go around crossing barriers, ignoring signal lights and clanging bells to save a few minutes, only to lose their lives. Another 70 deaths or more take place along rail lines during the year from persons trespassing on railroad property. Some youngsters walk on the tracks with earphones on their heads, heedless of trains bearing down on them, and others actually play chicken with trains, often losing out. The CPUC assists the Lifesaver program's educational efforts through its Outreach staff, who participate in presentations to schools and community groups. Rail safety staff oversee the enforcement and improvement of rail crossing standards. Overall, the program has over 400 volunteers making safety presentations to schools, driver education classes, community centers, professional school bus and truck drivers, and others. Through these efforts, more than 500,000 people hear the progam's safety message each year. This year, Operation Lifesaver will include Public Service Announcements for television with stronger visuals about what happens when persons, on foot or in cars or trucks chance an -more- encounter with a train. The information contact for the program is Rita Haskin, 415/508-6248. Other activities this week will include opportunities for law enforcement officials to ride inside the train engine cab, for first-hand views of the hazards people face when they drive around crossing warning gates or trespass along railroad rights- of-way, a mock train-auto collision and emergency medical services response drill at Chico on Wednesday, plus safety presentations or mock disaster response drills at specific hazard sites in Pomona, Palmdale, and Los Angeles. A safety information fair for school children on the San Francisco peninsula is also planned. Operation Lifesaver is a non-profit coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to eliminating deaths and injuries from illegal trespass on railroad property and from collisions at highway-rail crossings. A national office near Washington, DC, coordinates state and national activities. Information about the CPUC's programs may be obtained from Tom Enderle at 415-597-1890 in San Francisco, or James McInerney at 213-897-4184 in Los Angeles.