“I was just running by the tracks.  I slipped and fell.”

“I was rushing home.  There was a train coming, but I thought I could get around the gate.”

“My bicycle wheel got caught – I had to jump backward.”

Trains are still an important part of the transportation infrastructure in Silicon Valley.  Railroads move freight and provide a convenient public transit option for commuters and visitors. But trains can also be dangerous if people don’t stay alert when near the tracks – whether they are on foot, on a bicycle, or in a car.

There are miles of railroad tracks winding through Santa Clara.  All train tracks are private property, and trains have the right of way 100% of the time – over pedestrians, cars, fire engines or ambulances.  Because of their huge weight and size, trains cannot slow down or stop quickly.  The difference in the weight ratio of an automobile and a train is proportional to a soda can and a car.  Also the train may extend three feet or more outside of the steel rail, which makes the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the rails themselves. 

Here are a few things to remember to stay safe when you are near a railroad track:

• Watch for flashing lights and lowered crossing gates.  Do not try to cross the track until the warning signal is over.
• Modern trains are quiet.  Don’t think you’ll hear a clackety-clack to warn you to get out of the way.
• Approaching trains are always closer and moving faster than you think.  If you see a train in the distance, get out of the way immediately.
• Never walk down a train track.  It’s illegal and dangerous.  By the time a locomotive engineer sees a vehicle or a person on the tracks, it is too late to stop the train to avoid a collision.