Operation Lifesaver Delaware was established in 1986 as part of the national Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) team network. Operation Lifesaver (OL) works with federal and state departments of transportation and public safety, the railroad industry, the American Trucking Association, the American Bus Association, and School Transportation providers, the National PTA, the law enforcement community, and other safety activists ranging from school students to retired seniors.

Working together since 1972, the OL team has managed to reduce the number of highway-rail grade crossing crashes nationwide by as much as 70%. This, during a time when both highway and rail traffic have increased dramatically. (OL) outreach programs are designed to promote safe behavior at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights of way. To get the message to the public OL programs follow the guidelines of the three "E"s.

Education: OL offers a variety of educational presentations designed to reach out to groups as diverse as pre-schoolers, driver's-ed students, professional drivers, police officers and senior citizens. These presentations can be made on the group's site or in a DART facility. All OL presentations are offered free of charge. In addition, DART First State's OL awareness efforts include billboards, bus posters, radio and TV public service announcements; and special event exhibits.

Engineering: OL works with the railroads, DelDOT, police departments and the community to improve safety systems. For instance, in Delaware, more than 75% of the State's nearly 300 public grade crossings have active systems. While nationally, only about 33%, or one-third of grade crossings are equipped with active signal systems. Active systems are those with flashing lights or flashing lights and gates. All others are passive systems; which have only the familiar X-shaped cross-buck sign or a stop sign.

Enforcement: In cooperation with police departments, the Legislature and the railroads, OL is encouraging the enforcement of reasonable traffic and trespassing laws to make people more aware of the inherent dangers of ignoring safety signs and signals and trespassing on railroad equipment and rights of way.

Over the past ten years Delaware has had an average of 5.4 grade crossing collisions and 3.1 trespassing injuries or fatalities each year. Compared to many larger states the crash, injury and fatality numbers in Delaware appear to be quite low. But even one person injured or killed is too many, especially when you consider that these are the easiest incidents to prevent.

Over the past decade OL Delaware has also interacted with more than 150,000 people through exhibits, informational kiosks and full on-site presentations. OL Delaware, with the assistance of Amtrak and Philadelphia's SEPTA transit agency, also hosts a train ride and station tour that reinforces the OL messages.

The messages are simple: LOOK, LISTEN & LIVE ... STAY OFF, STAY AWAY, STAY ALIVE For more Operation Lifesaver information and/or to schedule an on-site OL presentation, please contact DTC Marketing's Doug Andrews at 302.576.6013.