Operation Lifesaver Canada takes aim at trespassing with new PSAs

Operation Lifesaver Canada

Operation Lifesaver Canada (OL Canada) launched a new safety outreach initiative to educate Canadians of the dangers of trespassing on railway property.

The three new public service announcements (PSAs) focus on people engaging in common behaviors, such as wearing headphones or taking selfies with their mobile devices while walking along railway tracks, and highlight the often tragic results of forgetting about rail safety.

“People assume they’ll be able to hear a train coming or that a train can stop to avoid hitting them,” says Sarah Mayes, OL Canada’s interim National Director. “Often that’s not the case, and last year we saw more and more Canadians tragically paying the price for those assumptions – losing their limbs or their lives.”

OL Canada notes that in 2016, 46 people were killed and another 20 were seriously injured in 69 trespassing-related rail incidents. This represents a 38 percent increase in the number of incidents and a 53 percent increase in trespassing-related fatalities over the previous year. According to Transportation Safety Board of Canada data, trespassing and crossing incidents account for more than 85 percent of rail-related deaths and serious injuries in Canada each year.