On the right track to safety
To increase student awareness about train safety issues, a new poster with a list of safety tips and precautionary practices has been placed in various campus and community locations.
The "Trains of Thought" poster, sponsored by the Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress and the CSX Corp., urges pedestrians and motorists to "Use Xtreme caution" when approaching any railroad crossing and to remember that railroads are private property and that walking on or near them is extremely dangerous.
The safety campaign was prompted by four serious accidents during the
2004-05 academic year involving pedestrians and trains, including the death of an 18-year-old freshman, who was fatally struck by a train on the CSX Railroad trestle near Cleveland Avenue and North Chapel Street on Sept. 12, 2004.
The train safety project team produced the slogan, "Stay off the tracks," and the "Trains of Thought" poster was designed by Monroe Givens, associate director of creative services in UD's Office of Public Relations. The posters highlight eight important train safety tips and warnings, including a reminder that trains may be closer than they appear, that they are wider than most people think and that a train traveling at 55 mph can take as long as a mile and a half to stop.
Posters and cards were distributed by the Newark Police Department and displayed by local businesses and on UD buses, and 10 street signs have been posted near the three railroad grade crossings in Newark.