Trespassing remains the leading cause of rail-related fatalities In
Canada
MONTREAL, April 28, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - With trespassing remaining the
leading cause of rail-related fatalities in Canada, CN (TSX: CNR)
(NYSE: CNI) is marking Rail Safety Week through May 4, 2014, with a
public awareness campaign stressing the deadly risks of trespassing on
railway tracks and property. CN Police are urging the public to call CN
Police at 1-800-465-9239 to report unsafe behaviour on railway
property.
In 2013, in Canada, there were 58 trespasser accidents that resulted in
44 fatalities and 10 serious injuries. The proportion of trespasser
accidents that were fatal (76 per cent) was up compared to the
five-year average of 66 per cent.
"We will not tolerate that individuals put their lives and those of
others at risk", says CN Police Chief Stephen Covey. "Too many people
die from injuries sustained while trespassing on railway property in
Canada and those fatalities are avoidable. The railway is not a safe
place for children to play and it is not safe for adults to take short
cuts across it. It is important to remember that when you see tracks,
think trains!"
Crossing accidents represented another serious type of rail incidents in
2013, with 20 per cent of these accidents resulting in either serious
or fatal injuries. There were 188 crossing accidents in Canada in 2013,
consistent with the average of the past five years. These tragedies can
be prevented simply by obeying the crossing protection that is in
place. Trains cannot stop quickly and they cannot swerve to avoid a
collision.
CN Police will be out in full force during Rail Safety Week, conducting
safety initiatives at commuter stations, CN intermodal terminals and
railway crossings in Canada and the United States. CN will visit
commuter stations to target a larger audience of rail users,
particularly parents who will be urged to pass on safety information to
their children.
For more information about the CN safety initiatives in your area, click here.
CN Police work year-round to reduce trespassing and crossing incidents,
fatalities and injuries, by identifying the highest risk areas and
develop targeted strategies to reduce incidents.
CN has been promoting railway safety for more than 25 years through its All Aboard for Safety community education program. Every year, CN Police officers make
hundreds of All Aboard for Safety presentations and talk to more than 300,000 children and adults at
schools and community events in Canada and the United States about the
importance of safety and the dangers of walking or playing on or near
railway tracks. Part of the strength of this program is the
collaborative relationship with major community safety partners such as
Operation Lifesaver and Parachute.
Operation Lifesaver and its partners created Rail Safety Week in 2003 to
raise public awareness of the potential dangers at highway/railway
crossings and from trespassing on railway property.
CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting approximately C$250
billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors,
ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer
goods, across a rail network spanning Canada and mid-America. CN -
Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway
subsidiaries -- serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince
Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the
metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago,
Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss.,
with connections to all points in North America. For more information
on CN, visit the company's website at www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN
