SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah Transit Authority kicked off Rail Safety Week on Sept. 18, offering multiple activities promoting safety around railroad crossings.

Rail Safety Week is a statewide initiative to educate Utahns about railroad safety. UTA is joining forces with the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Highway Patrol, Salt Lake City Police, the Utah Trucking Association, and Tooele Technical College to provide information to pedestrians and drivers alike when it comes to being safe around railways in Utah.

Rail Safety Week is put together to educate pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers about safe (and unsafe) behavior. A major part of UTA’s overall mission is to save lives by empowering the public to make safer decisions around tracks and trains.

UTA will be sponsoring new events each day:

  • Good Morning Monday — Sept. 18: UTA is kicking things off with a press conference featuring speakers from UTA, UDOT, Utah Highway Patrol, the Department of Public Safety and Utah Operation Lifesaver.
  • Clear the Track Tuesday — Sept. 19: UTA Police, Salt Lake City Police, and Utah Highway Patrol will be educating drivers and pedestrians about rail safety at the Midvale Fort Union Station, Central Pointe Station, and Provo Central Station crossings.
  • Welcome Wednesday — Sept. 20: Utah Operation Lifesaver will be welcoming all the new truck drivers from Tooele Technical College into Rail Safety Week with Safety in Seconds Training.
  • Transit Thursday — Sept. 21: UTA and our partners will be at the North Temple Station from 4-6 p.m. to hand out Safety in Seconds brochures, water bottles, key chains, and pens.
  • Football Friday — Sept. 22: We will be at the following high schools during school and the football games to educate youth about the importance of railroad safety:
    • Kearns High School
    • West High School
    • Woods Cross Elementary
    • West Bountiful Elementary
    • Lehi High School
    • Meadow Elementary (Lehi)
    • Independence High School (Provo)
    • Freedom Preparatory Middle School (Provo)
    • Freedom Preparatory High School (Provo)
    • Juab High School (Nephi)
  • Social Saturday & Sunday — Sept. 23-24: UTA wants residents to share their own ideas on rail safety. They will have a variety of prizes available for those who share posts on social media. Here’s how it works: Safely take a picture at any railroad crossing or station. Post that picture on any of their social channels: X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. The Rail Safety team will choose multiple gift card winners

UTA wants to remind Utahns there are 8 Simple Safety Rules for making the best decisions around railways:

  • Don’t go around gates
  • Don’t be distracted
  • Hold children’s hands
  • Don’t race to beat trains – on foot or in a vehicle
  • Stay behind yellow lines at TRAX stops
  • Look both ways
  • Wait for red lights
  • Stop for trains

For more information and to see videos of these topics visit the UTA 2023 Rail Safety Week website.