MBTA offers

safety tips

"Look, Listen ... and Live" is the slogan for the MBTA's safety program, Operation Lifesaver.

It's an educational program to help keep people safe around railroad crossings and tracks that has begun showing up in Newburyport, in conjunction with the train system starting up again Oct. 26.

Operation Lifesaver has been a national program for 25 years and within the state for 14 years. Four years ago, Secretary of Transportation and MBTA Chairman Patrick Moynihan and MBTA General Manager Robert Prince Jr. helped to create the MBTA Rail Safety Trespass Prevention Office and MBTA Trespass Prevention Task Force to make safety a high priority.

Ernie Deeb, manager of the MBTA Rail Safety Trespass Prevention Office, said it's a volunteer program that usually involves police officers and firefighters taking a class and then becoming presenters to those in the community.

Two classes have been held in Newburyport for police officers and firefighters. They are provided with slides, videos, coloring books, and other materials needed to present to the community.

Safety tips the program offers to drivers; always expect a train at every highway-rail intersection, don't stop on railroad crossings, don't race through a gate before it comes down, don't race a train to an intersection.

On the issue of trespassing the program says to stay away from tracks; don't use them as shortcuts; and don't put anything on the tracks.

Motorcycles should be extra cautious crossing tracks, and buses and commercial trucks should stop at all crossings and then proceed.

Thousands of people are seriously injured and hundreds are killed in nearly 6,000 highway-rail grade crossing crashes each year.

The presentations are geared toward all different groups and ages; adults, school kids, bus drivers, regular drivers, driver education students.

The MBTA also passes out literature and hangs posters in surrounding cities and towns that may use the train system in order to keep them knowledgeable about safety as well.

Deeb said that Rep. Joe Sullivan (Braintree) has been "spearheading the legislation to increase fines for trespassing".

The task force was established a year ago and tells train engineers to report people on or by the tracks. The information is passed on to the local authorities and it is up to them to investigate. MBTA police use helicopters for surveillance and notify the state police of any unsafe activities. Video cameras have also been posted at crossings.

"It's amazing what we catch on the video cameras," said Deeb. "Trains miss hitting cars by seconds because the gates and flashing lights are ignored."