Iowa — This past week was “See Track? Think Train” week.
Francis Edeker, the state coordinator for the “Operation Lifesaver” program, says more than 23 hundred people are injured or killed every year at railroad crossings.
Edeker says having pedestrians on and near railroad tracks has become a major concern.
Edeker says pedestrians and vehicles are only allowed to cross the railroad tracks at designated crossing areas.
The fine for a first trespassing violation in Iowa is 200 dollars. This past July, the state fine increased to 520 dollars for ignoring crossing gates and warning lights and illegally driving across railroad tracks in so-called “quiet zones.”
Trains approaching railroad crossings in the 21 “quiet zones” in Iowa are not required to sound the horn, to reduce noise in cities. The cities of Ames, Bellevue, Boone, Burlington, Creston, Denison, Fairfield, Hiawatha, Mason City, Mount Vernon, Nevada, Ogden, Ottumwa, Sergeant Bluff and Sioux City all have quiet zones.
