Operation Lifesaver

Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit, nationwide public education program dedicated to eliminating collision, deaths, and injuries at highway-rail intersections and on railroad rights-of-way. It is sponsored cooperatively by a wide variety of partners, including federal, state and local government agencies, highway safety and transportation organizations, and the nation's railroads.

Operation Lifesaver strives to increase public awareness about the danger at places where the roadway crosses the train tracks and on railroad rights-of-way. The program seeks to improve driver and pedestrian behavior at highway-rail intersections by encouraging compliance with traffic laws relating to crossing signs and signals. Operation Lifesaver endeavors to reduce deaths and injuries on railroad right-of-way by educating people about the dangers on the tracks. In conjunction with its education program, Operation Lifesaver emphasizes the enforcement of existing traffic and trespassing laws, consolidation and closure of redundant highway-rail crossings, and engineering improvements, including installing and upgrading of crossing warning devices and signs.

The nation's railroads, related federal, state and local governments, business, railroad suppliers, labor, civic and community leaders and other concerned safety professionals are all part of state programs. Any person or organization is welcome to join a state program to work at the local level doing whatever you can to educate motorists that they need to exercise greater care when driving across highway-rail grade crossings.

Grade Crossing Awareness Video

Cheating Death: Grade Crossing Awareness - An Amtrak video designed to warn teen drivers of the dangers and consequences of failing to obey highway-rail grade crossing signals was developed in response to several grade-crossing deaths of teenagers in Lakeland, FL.

Partner with Operation Lifesaver

For information on how to become an Operation Lifesaver partner in Pennsylvania, contact Brock Kerchner, State Coordinator, at 717-745-8522 or coordinator@oliofpa.org.