NCDOT hopes to reduce train-related accidents with new safety initiative

North Carolina Department of Transportation BeRailSafe has been training instructors to teach high school students about train tracks safety for the past month.

The training program is part of NCDOT's BeRailSafe initiative, in which instructors will remind students not to park on the tracks, not to drive around closed barriers, and more, hoping to keep the legal and life-and-death consequences top of mind.

The new rail safety lessons will be taught as part of Career and Technical Pathways Education (CTPE) classes, which are already part of many school curriculums. The classes are designed to prepare students for specific careers and often cover safety-related topics.

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, 1,200 people are killed in the US annually on train tracks.

A push for safety sounds good to Raleigh residents like Robin Hilliard.

"I think it's really smart because a lot of kids have never really thought about it," Hilliard said.

Here are some additional tips for train safety that individuals can learn:

• If your vehicle gets stuck on the tracks, get out and call the number on the blue and white sign posted on the crossing gate. It's important to remember that train tracks are private property and trespassers can face arrest and fines.
• Here are some additional tips for train tracks safety:
• Only cross railroad tracks at designated crossings.
• Look both ways before crossing railroad tracks.
• If lights are flashing or the gate is down at a railroad crossing, wait for the train to pass completely, the gates to lift and the lights to stop flashing before crossing.
• Never cross railroad tracks between the rails.
• Never play on or near railroad tracks.
• Be aware of your surroundings when near railroad tracks.
• Obey all railroad crossing signals and signs.