CSX Railroad Safety Blitz Aims to Save Lives

In an effort to raise awareness around railroad crossing safety, CSX recently teamed up with the Pascagoula Police Department to set up a "Safety Blitz," encouraging drivers not to ignore crossing warnings. Pascagoula houses eight railroad crossings which have been the site of 27 collisions and nine fatalities in Jackson County alone over the past five years.

Jackson County has been the site of 27 collisions and nine fatalities over the past five years.

"Everybody's in a hurry to get somewhere," said Pascagoula Captain George Tillman who has worked several of the accident scenes. He doesn't understand why anyone would want to race a train, but the flashing lights, train whistle and barricades have not been enough to deter some drivers.

"Now to hit a train or get hit by a train, you are going to have to violate the law," said CSX Safety Supervisor Bob Martin. "If you look for the train, listen for the train, you will live to see tomorrow."

Practicing these few simple steps before crossing any rail tracks is all it takes to ensure your safety.

"Think of it like this," Martin said. "If it is a tie at the crossing, you're going to lose because the train outweighs your vehicle 4,000 to one."