Railroad safety messaging
- Description
- Notable Practices
- Images and Audio
- References
Railroad safety messaging aims to increase knowledge of rail safety, the risks of trespassing, and relevant laws. Some research suggests that individuals who received some form of rail safety information or training may be less likely to trespass [1], supporting the need for public messaging campaigns. Rail safety messaging encourages safe behaviors by highlighting the dangers of trespassing and promoting desired safe practices in the rail environment.
Public messaging can be designed to target broad populations, or be targeted to specific populations with specific motivations to be in the track area, for example, shortcutting, photography, fitness activities, risk-seeking, graffiti, etc. Messaging should highlight positive behaviors that help keep communities safe, such as crossing the tracks at a designated pedestrian crossing.
One example of a broad, national campaign is, “See tracks? Think Train! Week”, formerly “Rail Safety Week,” held annually in the United States and Canada since 2017 and led by Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI). OLI is an organization that plays an important role in educating the public about rail safety and the dangers of trespassing, and has contributed to a reduction in incidents [2]. Materials developed by OLI for both national campaigns and targeted populations can be accessed on the OLI website.
It is also possible for messages to be delivered when individuals enter specific locations through geofencing. OLI successfully employed this technology to deliver educational information to pedestrians on their mobile phone as they approach railroad tracks in a number of states. One consideration for geofencing is potential to increase distraction while someone is already in a dangerous situation. For example, if a safety message is presented on a trespasser’s phone while they are in the track area and a train is approaching, safety may be reduced as their attention may be drawn away from the train to their phone.
A variety of media types can be used to convey this information, including:
- Public events
- Physical or digital signage
- Brochures
- News articles
- Social media platforms
- Websites
- Geofencing
- Safety blitzes at crossings or stations
With any safety messaging, consider how the message may be received by individuals at risk for suicide, even if the messaging does not explicitly mention suicide. Portraying a train strike as a quick and certain death may inadvertently highlight the rail system as a viable means for suicide. When creating rail safety messages, consider avoiding language that highlights lethality or inflates rates of death [3].
Additional search terms: media, messages, signage, sign
- Use positive messaging that highlights safe behaviors while avoiding fear-based massaging that focuses on unsafe behaviors [3].
- Avoid highlighting the lethality of a train strike; emphasizing rail lethality can have unintended consequences for individuals at risk for suicide [3]. Consider focusing on other consequences of rail casualties such as severe injury, impacts on train crews, or delays [3].
- Use multiple media formats (e.g., posters, social media, physical and digital signage) to communicate the messages and achieve a broad reach [4].
- Identify whether the campaign will target a specific population (e.g., through data collection and analysis), and tailor the campaign to the intended audience [4].
- Consider placing messaging in high-traffic locations or where trespassing is known to occur, as well as other locations throughout the community such as businesses near the tracks.
- Campaign effectiveness may decline over time. Periodically revising the messaging and/or design may help to mitigate this decline [5].
- Rail safety messaging works best when combined with other prevention measures; some examples include: Trespassing signage, Right-of-way fencing, Community stakeholder collaboration, and Safety patrols and law enforcement.
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[1] Chen, Y., Dou, W., Yi, X., & Huda, K. T. (2024). Investigation of Public Knowledge and Perceptions toward Railroad Trespassing in the United States [Manuscript]. University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Abstract: Despite government efforts, railroad trespassing persists, largely due to widespread unawareness of its risks. To investigate public knowledge and motivations regarding this issue, we surveyed 591 people (August 2022−May 2023). Employing descriptive statistics, for example, frequency distribution, and non-parametric tests, we preliminarily analyzed the findings in this paper. Alarmingly, 90% of respondents never received rail-related safety training, 40% believed private railroad property was public, and 48% were unaware of its illegality. Notably, 52% admitted to trespassing. Regarding the reasons for trespassing, 68% of the respondents who trespassed before reported shortening a trip, an official crossing is too far away, not convenient, or a busy highway were the main reasons. For the destinations after trespassing, 32% chose hiking, walks, and walking dogs, 26% chose going to the town/city/center, restaurant, or shopping, and another 22% reported way to (from) school/work. These findings highlight significant gaps in railroad safety education in the US.
[2] Horton, S., Carroll, A., Chaudhary, M., Ngamdung, T., Mozenter, J., & Skinner, D. (2009). Success factors in the reduction of highway-rail grade crossing incidents from 1994 to 2003 (No. DOT-VNTSC-FRA-09-01). United States. Federal Railroad Administration.
Abstract: Between the years 1994 and 2003, incidents at highway-rail grade crossings declined by 41.2 percent. The reasons for this decline were unknown. The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center was tasked by the Federal Railroad Administration to identify the salient success factors in highway-rail grade crossing incident reduction. The success factors were analyzed and investigated using various qualitative and quantitative methods. Ten factors were identified as the most influential safety factors. The ten factors are: Commercial Driver Safety, Locomotive Conspicuity, More Reliable Motor Vehicles, Crossing Closure and Grade Separation, Sight Lines Clearance, Warning Device Upgrades, the Grade Crossing Maintenance Rule, the Section 130 Program, Operation Lifesaver, and Railroad Mergers. Commercial Driver Safety, Locomotive Conspicuity, More Reliable Motor Vehicles, Sight Lines Clearance, and the Grade Crossing Maintenance Rule were quantitatively analyzed with data from the Railroad Accident Incident Reporting System; they impacted 54 percent of the incidents and accounted for 79 percent of the reduction in incidents.
[3] Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Safe and Effective Messaging on Rail Incidents: Useful Tips for Effective Reporting on Rail Suicide.
Description: Recommendations for reporting specifically on rail incidents developed by the FRA, Volpe Center and OLI.
[4] Robertson, R. D., & Pashley, C. R. (2015). Road Safety Campaigns: What the research tells us.
Document Excerpt: This document focuses on road safety campaigns, but the information it provides can be applied to public messaging to prevent trespassing.] This report contains an overview of leading theories that provide the foundation for road safety campaigns. It is combined with a comprehensive summary of the research evidence related to the effectiveness of road safety campaigns generally, and examples of individual campaign evaluations regarding drinking and driving, distracted driving, seatbelt use, speeding and vulnerable road users. It also highlights what is known about learning styles based on educational theories and shares recommendations to help communities develop effective road safety campaigns.
[5] RESTRAIL. (2014). Evaluation of measures, recommendations and guidelines for further implementation Pilot test #1: Warning signs and posters – CIDAUT.
Description: Describes a study evaluating the effectiveness anti-trespass warning signs and posters in Spain.
Operation Lifesaver Inc. Materials
Description: Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) hosts a free digital library of resources to help raise awareness about various aspects of rail safety. The material is searchable and can be filtered by different media types.