FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday,
May 17, 2001
Contact:
Corry Schiermeyer
Tel.:
(202) 493-6024
FRA
03-01
U.S.
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Announces Grant Agreement With Operation
Lifesaver,
Inc.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Michael P. Jackson today announced a $1.02 million grant agreement with Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) toward the delivery of public education and awareness programs related to highway-rail grade crossing safety and railroad trespass prevention in the United States.
“Operation Lifesaver is true to its
name. Each day lives are saved
precisely because of the work they do to improve grade crossing safety,” said
Deputy Secretary Jackson. “The
Department of Transportation is proud to renew our longstanding support for this
outstanding organization.”
Operation
Lifesaver is the nation’s premier nonprofit railroad safety education
organization dedicated to ending collisions, deaths and injuries at our
nation’s highway-rail grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way.
For the past 29 years, OLI and its volunteers have worked nationwide with
FRA, other agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the
nation’s railroads to reduce fatalities at railroad crossings by more than 70
percent.
This FRA grant agreement provides, among other things, 75 percent matching funds toward the following major activities:
States Assistance Grants - a total of $270,000 will be available to OLI’s 49 state programs to carry out innovative community safety programs and expand public education efforts for key groups such as law enforcement, professional truckers, school bus drivers, and others. In 2000, 27 state programs received a total of $200,000 in state assistance grants through this FRA/OLI grant program, which leveraged more than $190,000 in contributions from non-federal sources.
Educational Programs and Materials - a total of $290,000 in FRA funding will be used to create and deliver educational materials and important safety training programs for the public and a curriculum for K-12 teachers. In 2001, FRA funding will help OLI promote the use of its new website, which includes a cutting-edge railroad safety curriculum for K-12 teachers. In addition, OLI will publish a new, standardized Grade Crossing Collision Investigation (GCCI) training program and video for the nation’s law enforcement community.
Public Service Campaign -
FRA will contribute $350,000 toward the launch of a three-year public
service announcement campaign, entitled “Take Safety to Heart,”
developed in cooperation with FRA, the Federal Highway Administration, OLI,
the railroad industry and representatives of the nation’s law enforcement
community. The campaign (which
includes television, radio, and print media advertising) will be launched
immediately in the 15 most populous states nationwide, where 70 percent of
all grade crossing and trespass fatalities occur.
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