News

Rail safety tips for farmers

With harvest picking up pace around the country, a public safety organization is reminding farmers to proceed with caution around railroad tracks.

The head of Missouri Operation Lifesaver says some farm machinery can limit a person’s ability to see and hear a train.

Tim Hull tells Brownfield, “Some of the things we recommend they do is they pull up to the railroad crossing and stop, open that door up, and look and listen to make sure they’ve got good clearance, they can see, and that they are not going to get hung up on the tracks as they cross.”

He says farmers should never try to take a shortcut and cross actual railroad tracks. “They can get their tractor, UTV, or truck hung up on the rails,” Hull said, “and then they get stuck out there. And then they get hit.”

Since 1972, the National Operation Life Saver organization has helped reduced the number of train/motor vehicle collisions by about 82%. 

Missouri Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit that promotes rail safety through public awareness campaigns and education initiatives. It’s also part of the National Operation Life Saver organization.