Operation Lifesaver

Operation Lifesaver is the largest rail safety organization in the United States.[1] It was founded by the Union Pacific Railroad in the early 1970s.[2]

History

In 1972, the Idaho State Highway Patrol, then-Governor Cecil Andrus and the Union Pacific Railroad mounted campaign to promote "Stop, Look and Listen" safety at highway-rail grade crossings. The initial teams spoke to civic groups, school groups, school bus and truck drivers. Idaho experienced a 43% reduction in fatalities that first year.[3]

Campaigns

In 2006, Operation Lifesaver requested that Disney edit a scene of the Pixar film Cars in which the character of Lightning McQueen races a train to a grade crossing while the crossing lights are flashing. Disney/Pixar has removed the scene in question from theater showings but the DVD release of the movie still includes the scene.

On October 14th, 2016, Operation Lifesaver requested via a Facebook post that Hollister Co. remove advertisements from their website showing teenagers walking on railroad tracks. Hollister removed the advertisements five days later, on October 19th, 2016.

Criticism

Operation Lifesaver has been criticized for its strong ties to the railroad industry and the group's skew toward the railroad industry.The industry has reduced its support of the group’s efforts by providing fewer workers to help spread the group’s safety message. The group has also been criticized for not doing enough to support Pedestrian railroad safety in the United States.[4]

Images

References

  1. ↑ "Safety Group Tied to Industry". New York Times. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 19 August 2014. Operation Lifesaver is the nation's largest and most influential rail-safety group, but documents show that the organization is tightly bound to the railroad industry, and its critics, including many accident victims, say it inoculates railroads against liability in grade-crossing collisions
  2. ↑ Bogdanich, Walt; Jenny Nordberg (23 January 2005). "Highway Agency Disavows Claims by Rail Safety Group". New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2014. Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit association co-founded three decades ago by Union Pacific, has denied having a pro-railroad agenda.
  3. ↑ "Statement of Gerri L. Hall, President, Operation Lifesaver, Inc". Federal Document Clearing House. 29 April 1998. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Frankel, Todd. "Rail safety group shrinks as danger grows". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.