We hear at least a few times a year about train collisions with cars at railroad crossings and there have been six in southern Idaho this year. We even had one in Twin Falls just a few weeks ago that obliterated a semi-truck trailer.

Police recently monitored railroad crossings in Twin Falls and other crossings between Pocatello and Idaho Falls as part of Operation Lifesaver. In just a few hours police encountered 53 violations by motorists. Twenty-six motorists were stopped in the Eastern Idaho locations over the course of eight hours on August 28th. In Twin Falls during a four hour time frame 27 motorists were stopped for railroad crossing violations. The motorists were either giver warnings or citations, which in Idaho comes with a $90 fine. Those numbers are pretty startling for just a 12 hour period.

Even with the 53 violations, police say they are proud of Idaho motorists. That number could have been much higher but most drivers followed safety laws around the train crossings.

Operation Lifesaver is an effort to prevent accidents and save lives at railroad crossings. The effort is also know as 'Officer on a Train' as police team up with railroad workers during the focus hours. One thing many people might not know is that if your car stalls or becomes stuck at a railroad crossing you should immediately get out, even if there isn't a train visible. Motorists should then look for the emergency number to call that is posted near the crossing to alert any oncoming trains of the danger. The sign to look for will be labelled as 'Emergency Notification System'.

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