Canadians Urged to #STOPTrackTragedies During Rail Safety Week 2022 and Beyond

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation Lifesaver (OL) Canada today unveiled four new #STOPTrackTragedies videos to mark the beginning of Rail Safety Week (September 19-25, 2022) and to remind Canadians that taking risks near tracks and trains could cost them a limb, or their life. Every year, 2,100 North Americans are seriously injured or killed when they engage in unsafe behavior around railways.

“Our goal with the 2022 #STOPTrackTragedies campaign is to show Canadians that making an unsafe decision around tracks and trains — whether it’s to train-hop, ignore railway signs and signals, or to send a text while driving — can tear lives apart: yours, those of your loved ones, and members of your community,” says Sarah Mayes, National Director of Operation Lifesaver Canada.

OL and its railway partners will be holding public outreach events across the country this week to promote the #STOPTrackTragedies campaign and rail safety.

On September 20^th, OL’s law enforcement partners will join the campaign by participating in Operation Clear Track — the single largest rail-safety law-enforcement initiative in North America. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel from across Canada will work to enforce rail crossing and trespassing laws and promote rail-safety messages in communities through pamphlets, press releases, and social media posts.

On September 22^nd, OL will unveil rail safety decals in municipalities from coast to coast, to remind pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists to exercise caution and “Look. Listen. Live.” at rail crossings. Communities from B.C. to Nova Scotia have installed decals this year, bringing the total number of municipalities engaged in OL’s Community Safety Partnership Program­ to 80.

OL has also launched two new Thomas & Friends^TM books, published in partnership with Mattel Canada, Canadian Pacific (CP), and Metrolinx, to help reach young Canadians with the rail safety message. OL is offering the books for FREE to parents, educators, and community groups through its website, and will be hosting readings at select Toys ‘R Us stores across Canada on September 25^th. Follow OL Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for details and store locations.

Finally, OL will cap off Rail Safety Week by announcing the winners of its 2021 Roger Cyr Award — an annual award typically given to a Rail Safety Ambassador who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to promoting rail safety in Canada. For the first time ever, this year, OL will also be recognizing a Canadian community with a Roger Cyr Award for its outstanding leadership in promoting rail crossing safety and anti-trespassing initiatives.

Canadians are encouraged to support OL’s 2022 Rail Safety Week campaign by heeding these rail safety tips, by following OL Canada on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by sharing OL’s rail safety messages with their loved ones using the hashtags #STOPTrackTragedies and #RSW2022.

About Operation Lifesaver Canada

Operation Lifesaver Canada is a national public rail-safety program sponsored by Transport Canada, the Railway Association of Canada and its members, including CN, CP, VIA Rail, Metrolinx, exo, West Coast Express and Genesee & Wyoming, among others. Through its national network of Rail Safety Ambassadors, partnerships with safety councils, police, the trucking industry and community groups, and innovative tools such as its virtual-reality Look. Listen. Live. campaign, Operation Lifesaver Canada works to save lives by educating Canadians about the hazards of trespassing on railway property and failing to exercise caution at rail crossings. Canadians can keep up-to-date on the latest rail safety news by visiting operationlifesaver.ca.