Trespassing remains the leading cause of rail-related
fatalities in the United
States
HOMEWOOD, IL,
April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - With
trespassing remaining the leading cause of rail-related fatalities
in the United States, CN (TSX:
CNR) (NYSE: CNI) is marking Rail Safety Week through May 4, 2014, with a public awareness campaign
stressing the deadly risks of trespassing on railway tracks and
property. CN Police are urging the public to call CN Police at 1-
800-465-9239 to report unsafe behavior on railway property.
"We will not tolerate that individuals put their lives and those
of others at risk", says CN Police Chief Stephen Covey. "Too many people die from
injuries sustained while trespassing on railway property in
Canada and those fatalities are
avoidable. The railway is not a safe place for children to play and
it is not safe for adults to take short cuts across it. It is
important to remember that when you see tracks, think trains!"
In 2013, there were 943 grade crossing accidents and 908
trespassing accidents in the United
States. Crossing accidents caused 250 fatalities, while 476
people died in trespassing accidents. More than 50 per cent of
trespassing incidents resulted in fatalities.
CN Police will be out in full force during Rail Safety Week,
conducting safety initiatives at commuter stations, CN intermodal
terminals and railway crossings in the
United States and Canada.
CN will visit commuter stations to target a larger audience of rail
users, particularly parents who will be urged to pass on safety
information to their children.
For more information about the CN safety
initiatives in your area, click here.
CN Police work year-round to reduce trespassing and crossing
incidents, fatalities and injuries, by identifying the highest risk
areas and develop targeted strategies to reduce incidents.
CN has been promoting railway safety for more than 25 years
through its All Aboard for Safety community education
program. Every year, CN Police officers make hundreds of All
Aboard for Safety presentations and talk to more than 300,000
children and adults at schools and community events in the United States and Canada about the importance of safety and the
dangers of walking or playing on or near railway tracks. Part of
the strength of this program is the collaborative relationship with
major community safety partners Operation Lifesaver and
Parachute.
CN is a true backbone of the economy,
transporting approximately C$250
billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business
sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to
consumer goods, across a rail network spanning Canada and mid-America. CN - Canadian National
Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries --
serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince
Rupert, B.C., Montreal,
Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of
Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis., and
Jackson, Miss., with connections
to all points in North America.
For more information on CN, visit the company's website at
www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN