ATLANTA - Gainesville and Cornelia are are among several Georgia cities targeted for a campaign promoting pedestrian safety on and near railroad tracks.
Titled "Don't Walk That Line," the Operational Lifesaver initiative will involve billboard advertising in the selected areas with the message that trespassing on train tracks is both illegal and deadly.
"We are launching this campaign because Georgia continues to rank among the top 10 states in pedestrian-train deaths nationwide, with 15 deaths last year alone," says Georgia Operation Lifesaver State Coordinator Jennie Glasgow.
Three safety messages and a Spanish-language version will be rotated on billboards across the state over the next nine months, including Metropolitan Atlanta, Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Cornelia, Dalton, Gainesville, Macon, Rome, Savannah, Valdosta and Waycross.
There is also a website, dontwalkthatline.org, which includes safety tips including the following:
1. Tracks, train tunnels, trestles, rail yards and equipment are private property. If you walk, hunt, fish or ride your ATV on the tracks, you are trespassing and can be legally prosecuted.
2. The only safe place to cross railroad tracks is at a public crossing. Anywhere other than a public crossing, stay off and away from the tracks.
3. Don't talk on a cell phone, text, or use MP3 players when you're near train tracks. Trains are quieter than you think, go faster than they appear, and do not run on set schedules.
4. Freight trains do not travel on a predictable schedule and passenger train schedules frequently change. Always expect a train anywhere along any railroad track, in either direction.
5. Because of their size and weight, trains can't stop quickly. A 100-car freight train traveling at 55 mph will need more than a mile to stop.
About Operation Lifesaver
Operation Lifesaver (www.oli.org) is a national, non-profit safety education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way. There are programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with trained and certified presenters who give free safety talks to community groups, schools, school bus drivers, truck drivers and community organizations to raise awareness of the need for caution around railroad tracks and trains.
More information, including safety tips and how to schedule a free safety presentation in Georgia, can be found at /.
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July 2nd, 2025
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