The Naperville Police Department recently joined forces with state agencies for Illinois Rail Safety Week.
NPD’s Mission For Safety Week
The sixth annual Illinois Rail Safety Week ran from September 22-28, and aimed to remind the public how to be safe around trains and train tracks.
Police officers focused their efforts at River Road and Loomis Street crossings, where both pedestrians and vehicles can cross over the tracks. They were on hand to cite and educate those who disobeyed the law.
“Some of the violations are crossing when the gates are down, that’s either a vehicle and/or a pedestrian. So when the gates are down, the signals are alarmed and the flashing lights are activated: you can not over the tracks at that time. Those are the main violations if any we see. We’ve been participating in this for the last four years and I think over that time period we’ve maybe only seen one or two violations,’” said sergeant Derek Zook.
Tips For Crossing Tracks
Sergeant Zook offered some tips when crossing the rails: look both ways before you cross, wait until the gates go all the way up, and cross the tracks as quickly as possible.
And another tip: while waiting on your train, stay behind the platform safety lines.
For more information and tips you can check out Illinois Rail Safety Week’s website.